More and more people are turning to AI chatbots as if they were close friends—venting about personal struggles, asking for advice, and even sharing their deepest secrets. These conversations can feel strikingly real, with some users saying they’re indistinguishable from chatting with a human. However, while exchanges with AI can offer a quick emotional boost, it’s still unclear whether they genuinely ease loneliness over time. In a new study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, researchers set out to ask a bigger question: can AI chatbots truly provide the kind of long-term emotional support we get from real human relationships?
Chatting with people beats interactions with AI chatbots when it comes to reducing loneliness
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Disinformation communicated by and on behalf of foreign powers is now part and parcel of digital statecraft in the information age, an expert from Cardiff University has said.This post was originally published on this site
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In just a few years, generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) has brought about significant changes in many industries, from health care to education, entertainment to finance, and even law.This post was originally published on this [...]
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If you’ve poured your heart out on social media about a political issue, it might have felt cathartic—but likely was not persuasive, Cornell research finds. Americans are skeptical of emotional comments they see in their [...]
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When a natural disaster strikes a Latin American community, the damage doesn’t stop at downed power lines and flooded streets. A new study finds that disasters trigger a 69% spike in public protests in affected [...]
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As governments worldwide explore how artificial intelligence can transform decision-making, a recent study from Sultan Qaboos University demonstrates how AI can uncover hidden connections within legal systems—offering a powerful tool to support smarter lawmaking. Published [...]
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A major new study suggests people’s direct experience with artificial intelligence has little impact on their views about its role in government decision-making—while factual information about the technology can significantly shift public opinion. Professor Yotam [...]
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A new Rice University study offers one of the first national measures of a viewpoint called “racial realism” and considers how it fits into the broader spectrum of perspectives Black Americans hold about race relations.This [...]
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Conventional weapons are generally presented as controllable, proportionate and morally acceptable, unlike weapons of mass destruction. It is this assumption that is challenged by research conducted by Julien Pomarède at the Centre for the Study [...]
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Governments cutting hundreds of millions of euros in pandemic funding, just a few years after a pandemic. Billions spent on compensation after a flood, rather than on prevention beforehand. Governments find it difficult to deal [...]
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The dark web is sometimes seen as a shadowy part of the internet, but it also has legitimate uses, including accessing censored information and sharing files securely. Its anonymity and privacy features, however, can make [...]


