AI Companions
This book views generative AI through a socio-cultural lens, grounding aspects of AI in applicable theoretical orientations and methodologies. Specifically, this book focuses on the role of synthetic relationships humans have with conversational chatbots and AI companions in the context of parasocial interaction, imaginary social relations, and the newer concept of mediated social connections the author has developed in previous work. The book places synthetic companions within a broader theoretical context. AI companions, whether Character AI, Replika AI, or other similar platforms, or ChatGPT among conversational chatbots, fulfill social roles similar to traditional ones, such as friends, lovers, mentors, and psychotherapists or counselors, as this book explores social connections with non-humans and how AI companions influence emotional well-being and behavior. This investigation challenges traditional ideas of companionship and redefines what it means to connect in a world increasingly integrated with technology and artificial intelligence.
Neil Alperstein is Professor Emeritus in the Communication Department at Loyola University Maryland, USA. He is the founding director of the Emerging Media graduate program. He is the author of Celebrity and Mediated Social Connections: Fans, Friends, and Followers in the Digital Age (2019) and Performing Media Activism in the Digital Age (2022). He has published research in the area of digital media and public health and has published several studies on the use of web tracking devices on prescription drug, mental health, and climate change websites.