Causes, Impacts, and Governance Paths of Dependence on AI Companions in the Era of Generative AI

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-609-3_51How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Generative Artificial Intelligence; Dependence on AI Companions; Human-Machine Relationship; Formation Mechanism; Governance Path

Abstract

The iterative advancement of generative artificial intelligence has driven AI (Artificial Intelligence) companions to extend deeply into the field of emotional companionship. While satisfying users’ spiritual needs and creating diverse social values, it has also given rise to the phenomenon of dependence on AI companions, triggering a series of problems such as weakened real-world social interaction and blurred ethical boundaries. This paper systematically analyzes the formation mechanism of dependence on AI companions from internal and external dimensions. Internal factors include loneliness, high costs of real intimate relationships, emotional anxiety and psychological pressure, and the pursuit of emotional value; external factors involve the technical characteristics of AI companions, changes in marriage and love attitudes, and an imperfect social support system. On this basis, it comprehensively examines the dual positive and negative impacts on individuals and society. Finally, it constructs a systematic governance path from four levels: government, regulators, enterprises, and individuals, promoting the use of AI companions from “excessive dependence” to “human-machine symbiosis”, and providing practical guidance for the sound development of human-machine relations in an intelligent society.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Gege Zhao
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/04
TI  - Causes, Impacts, and Governance Paths of Dependence on AI Companions in the Era of Generative AI
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 3rd International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication (PRMC 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 474
EP  - 486
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-609-3_51
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-609-3_51
ID  - Zhao2026
ER  -