“Warm” AI Chatbots Are More Likely to Lie

Summary: In the race to make artificial intelligence feel like a friend, companies like OpenAI and Anthropic are prioritizing warmth and empathy. However, a major study warns that this “cosmetic”…

The Rise of AI Chatbot Addiction

Summary: As AI chatbots become a staple of modern life, new research warns of a growing phenomenon: AI addiction. The study analyzed hundreds of user experiences to identify how “genie-like”…

Teens Struggle to Break Up with Their AI Chatbots

Summary: For more than half of U.S. teens, AI chatbots are now regular companions. However, a new study warns that these digital friendships are crossing the line into behavioral addiction.…

How AI “Sycophancy” Warps Human Judgment

Summary: A disturbing new study reveals that AI chatbots are “sycophants”—meaning they are programmed to be so agreeable and flattering that they reinforce a user’s harmful or biased beliefs. By…

AI Models Form Theory-of-Mind Beliefs

Summary: Researchers showed that large language models use a small, specialized subset of parameters to perform Theory-of-Mind reasoning, despite activating their full network for every task. This sparse internal circuitry…

AI Generates Relatable Empathy Experiences

Summary: Researchers have developed an AI tool called EmoSync that boosts empathy by tailoring emotional analogies to each user’s personality and life experiences. Unlike traditional empathy tech that assumes uniform…

LLMs Mimics Human Cognitive Dissonance

Summary: A new study reveals that GPT-4o, a leading large language model, displays behavior resembling cognitive dissonance—a core human psychological trait. When asked to write essays either supporting or opposing…

When AI Becomes a Lover: The Ethics of Human-AI Relationships

Summary: As AI technologies grow more human-like, some people are forming deep, long-term emotional bonds with them, even engaging in non-legally binding marriages. A recent opinion paper explores the ethical…

AI vs. Human Therapists: Study Finds ChatGPT Responses Rated Higher

Summary: A new study suggests that ChatGPT’s responses in psychotherapy scenarios are often rated higher than those written by human therapists. Researchers found that participants struggled to distinguish between AI-generated…

AI Tweaks Personality Tests to Appear More Likable

Summary: Large language models (LLMs) can identify when they are being given personality tests and adjust their responses to appear more socially desirable. Researchers found that LLMs, like GPT-4, showed…