A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found that AI-generated messages were more effective at making recipients feel “heard” and understood than messages generated by untrained humans. AI was also better at detecting emotions than these individuals. However, recipients reported feeling less heard when they found out a message came from AI. This highlights the importance of understanding the potential and limitations of AI in meeting human psychological needs as it becomes more prevalent in society.
The research conducted by Yidan Yin, Nan Jia, and Cheryl J. Wakslak from the USC Marshall School of Business aimed to address the question of whether AI, despite lacking human consciousness and emotional experience, could help people feel heard and understood. With increasing loneliness in society, the team wanted to explore the role AI could play in fulfilling human needs for connection and validation. Their findings suggest that while AI has the potential to enhance understanding and communication, there are challenges in effectively leveraging AI’s capabilities due to the devaluation of AI responses by recipients.
In an experiment and follow-up study, the USC Marshall research team found that both the actual source of a message and the presumed source played a role in how recipients perceived being heard. Participants felt more heard when they received a message from AI compared to a human, but learning that a message came from AI made them feel less heard. This bias against AI presents a challenge in deploying AI effectively for emotional support. Participants also reported feeling unease when they were aware that the empathetic response came from AI, highlighting the complex emotional dynamics in AI-human interactions.
The study also revealed that responses generated by AI were associated with increased hope and reduced distress, indicating a positive emotional impact on recipients. AI was better at offering emotional support in a disciplined manner, refraining from overwhelming practical suggestions. This suggests that AI could serve as a valuable tool to enhance human understanding and responses in providing emotional support, rather than replacing the human touch. The research indicates that AI and humans each have their own advantages and combining the two could lead to more effective support and empathy.
Overall, the study’s findings have important implications for the integration of AI into social contexts. While leveraging AI’s capabilities could provide a scalable solution for social support, especially for those lacking access to human interaction, it is crucial to consider how AI is presented and perceived to maximize its benefits and minimize negative responses. The researchers suggest that with time, people’s attitudes towards AI may become more positive, potentially leading to more acceptance and utilization of AI in providing emotional support. Further research is needed to explore the evolving dynamics of AI-human interactions and how AI can be effectively integrated into human relationships.
