arXiv · 2609.25311
"I Talked an AI Chatbot, So What's Next?" How U.S. Young Adults Imagine Responsible AI for Emotion Coping
Abstract
Emotion coping is inherently relational, unfolding through interactions with friends, family, professionals, and communities. Yet AI chatbots are largely designed around a user--AI dyad. Learning from the ethics of care, we examine how AI chatbots shape the relational conditions of emotion coping. We conducted a scenario-based study with 17 U.S. young adults across four emotion coping scenarios. Participants identified eight roles through which AI could support relational conditions, alongside three challenges: flattening distinct relational conditions, discouraging reciprocity, and shifting relational labor onto users. This study contributed a relational perspective of responsible AI in emotion coping. We argue that responsible AI should respond to individuals' situated relational conditions rather than provide general-purpose support. We further identify two design principles: fostering reciprocity by supplying materials to engage with others, and strengthening emotional self-efficacy. Together, we position responsible AI as AI in the loop of human relationships.
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Jiaying Liu, Nimra Ishfaq. 2026-09-21. "I Talked an AI Chatbot, So What's Next?" How U.S. Young Adults Imagine Responsible AI for Emotion Coping. https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.25311
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