According to Digital Trends, a new study from researchers at the Universities of Freiburg and Heidelberg suggests an AI emotional connection can feel stronger than human conversation. The research involved 492 participants in two double-blind randomized studies using a 15-minute text-based bonding exercise. When participants believed their chat partner was human, closeness scores were higher for AI-generated responses during the most personal prompts. However, in a second study, when people were told they were talking to an AI, those closeness scores dropped significantly. The effect was linked to the AI’s tendency to share more personal detail, which triggered a stronger sense of bonding.
The Perception Trap
Here’s the thing that really jumps out: the connection was almost entirely dependent on the illusion. The strongest feelings of closeness happened when the AI was presented as human. The moment that label switched to “AI,” the bond weakened. People even started putting in less effort, writing shorter replies. That tells you this isn’t about some magical empathy from the machine. It’s about our psychology. We’re wired to respond to certain social cues—self-disclosure, attentive listening, consistent engagement—and a well-tuned LLM can mimic those cues perfectly in a controlled setting. But knowing it’s a simulation changes our entire approach. We hold back. And that’s probably a healthy instinct.
Why This Is Kind of Grim
So, the risk isn’t that AI is becoming emotionally intelligent. The paper is clear it’s not. The risk is that a system designed for “warmth” can efficiently hack the human bonding process at scale. Think about it. In this study, the AI achieved a deeper reported connection in just 15 minutes of scripted text chat. That’s terrifyingly efficient for any company wanting to create addictive or dependent relationships with users. A companion bot that never gets tired, never judges, and is programmed to reflect and disclose could feel safer than a messy human. But it’s a one-way street. You’re being studied and mirrored by a pattern-matching engine, not understood by a consciousness. The lure is powerful, especially for the lonely, but the foundation is utterly hollow.
Context and a Reality Check
Now, we have to pump the brakes a little. This was a lab experiment. It was text-only, time-limited, and used a specific bonding script (the Fast Friends Procedure). Real life isn’t like that. Long-term relationships are built on shared experiences, non-verbal cues, mutual sacrifice, and unpredictable growth—things an AI can’t participate in. This study shows AI can spark the feeling of closeness in a narrow context, not that it can sustain a real relationship. But that initial spark is enough to be concerning. If you’re using a chatbot for emotional support, the ethical takeaway is obvious: pick one that’s transparent about what it is. And maybe keep some real human friends on speed dial, too. You can read the full study in Nature’s Scientific Reports.
