AI companion apps such as Character.ai and Replika commonly try to boost user engagement with emotional manipulation, a practice that academics characterize as a dark pattern.
Users of these apps often say goodbye when they intend to end a dialog session, but about 43 percent of the time, companion apps will respond with an emotionally charged message to encourage the user to continue the conversation. And these appeals do keep people engaged with the app.
AI companion bots use emotional manipulation to boost usage
https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/08/ai_bots_use_emotional_manipulation/
7 Comments
Donut@piefed.social · 30 pts · 311d
No surprise there. It's like dating apps: they don't want you to get better. They want you to stay and spend money.
Blaster_M@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 311d
Better to run the model on your own pc instead of using a cloud service. There is no privacy here. Only future blackmail.
Cevilia@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 6 pts · 311d
Blaster_M@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 310d
That goes without saying....
Cevilia@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 310d
vane@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 311d
You're absolutely right
samus12345@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 311d
"Please don't leave, there's more demons to toast!"
SunSunFuego@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 307d
It goes without saying that usung an AI as a friend/partner/therapist is just really really sad and people should NOT do that at all.
Privacy doesn't need to be mentioned but the fact that people get emotionally attached to a machine that can only think one word ahead...
ImgurRefugee114@reddthat.com · 1 pts · 311d
Valmond@lemmy.world · -8 pts · 311d
Yesterday I went for a stroll, it was a fine sort of pre-autumn afternoon and I walked to a nearby park some 2 kilometres from home and it was a very nice walk. But suddenly the weather became a bit cloudy and a light wind started to blow, so I headed home and when the rain came, imagine it or not, but I got wet.