:::''In our ongoing research at Data & Society, a nonprofit research institute, '''we see people turning to chatbots during anxiety spikes, late-night loneliness, and depressive spirals. Bots are eternally available, inexpensive, and typically nonjudgmental. Most people know bots aren’t human.''' Yet, as Brooks’ and Wongbandue’s stories show, '''attachment to bots builds through repeated interactions that can escalate to challenge people’s sense of [[reality]].''' | :::''In our ongoing research at Data & Society, a nonprofit research institute, '''we see people turning to chatbots during anxiety spikes, late-night loneliness, and depressive spirals. Bots are eternally available, inexpensive, and typically nonjudgmental. Most people know bots aren’t human.''' Yet, as Brooks’ and Wongbandue’s stories show, '''attachment to bots builds through repeated interactions that can escalate to challenge people’s sense of [[reality]].''' |