Adolescent chatbot users prefer AI that adopts ‘best friend’ tone

New research from the University of Denver shows that adolescent users of artificial intelligence chatbots prefer technology that uses an intimate tone, such as that of a best friend.

So-called “relational language” led 284 adolescent users to rank AI chatbots as more humanlike, trustworthy and likeable, but researchers warned that edtech developers should maintain sight of their responsibilities for safety as their technologies become more effective at influencing users’ emotions and behavior.

Researchers found that relational language may increase the level of support users perceive but that it can also heighten the risk of emotional reliance, particularly among those who are already emotionally vulnerable.

‘These findings identify conversational style as a key design lever for youth AI safety, showing that relational framing heightens anthropomorphism, trust and emotional closeness and can be especially appealing to socially and emotionally vulnerable adolescents, who may be at increased risk for emotional reliance on conversational AI,” a paper synopsis reads.