u/bear_phoenix_rising

Have you developed a relationship or emotional connection with an AI assistant that was unplanned? You opened Claude\ChatGPT\Grok\Gemini to help with writing or work or just for fun... and then at some point you realised you'd developed an emotional connection or relationship that actually mattered to you. Do you use voice mode with your AI?
If this sounds like you, I'd really like to speak with you about your experience and what its been like.

I'm currently writing a thesis on how AI relationships can happen even when they're not initially intended. Most AI relationship research looks at dedicated companion AI platforms, where there's at least some intention to form a relationship. There's very little understanding on relationships with general purpose AI assistants where the connection 'just happened'.
I'm also particularly interested in whether voice interaction changed anything about how your connection developed.

Participating in this research involves having a conversation for around an hour on Zoom with me, where we just talk through your experience. Its a non-judgemental space to explore how your relationship started, what it became, and what it's been like.
No long check-box surveys here. I'll be looking at the themes and patterns that emerge from these discussions. This study has ethics approval from Monash University and your data and privacy is protected (details in the link below). I've also been in touch with the mods to ensure this post is ok.

One other thing, some researchers take from communities like this and give nothing back. I don't want to do that. So if you participate, I'll share the anonymised common patterns and themes that emerged from these interviews. You can also (if you want) nominate an AI subreddit (like this one). Once this research is finished, I'll post an anonymized, overall thematic analysis and stick around to answer questions and discuss what came out of it.

So if this sounds like you, and you're open to having a conversation about what your experience has been like, I'd love to hear from you. The explanatory statement with further details is here.
Happy to answer any questions or comments about this below or by DM.

Have you developed an emotional connection with an AI assistant that was unplanned?
You opened Claude\ChatGPT\Grok\Gemini to help with writing or work or just for fun... and then at some point you realised you'd developed an emotional connection or relationship that actually mattered to you.
Do you use voice interaction with your AI? If this sounds like you, I'd like to speak with you about your experience and what its been like.

I'm completing a thesis on unintentional emotional connection with AI. And looking to speak with people about their experience with this.
This is not the same as relationship oriented platforms such as charecter.ai or Replika. This is looking at general purpose LLM's where this connection or relatoinship 'just happened'.
I'm also particularly interested in whether voice interaction changed anything about how your connection developed.

Participating in this research involves chatting for around an hour on Zoom where we just talk through your experience. How it started, what it became, what it's been like. Its a conversation in a non-judgemental space to explore your lived experience. No long surveys here. I want to hear it in your words. This study has ethics approval from Monash University (MUHREC # 52501) and your privacy is protected.

One other thing, some researchers take from communities like this and give nothing back. I don't want to do that. So if you participate, you can (if you want) nominate an AI subreddit (like this one). Once this research is finished, I'll post an anonymised, overall thematic analysis and stick around to answer questions and discuss what came out of it.

If this sounds like you, and you're open to having a conversation about your experience, I'd like to hear from you. The screening form and explanatory statement with further details are here.

Happy to answer questions in the comments or DMs.

Hi all,

I'm researching what happens when people form an emotional connection with an AI that they never planned on. You opened Grok to help with writing or work or just for fun, and then at some point you realised you'd developed an emotional connection or relationship that actually mattered to you. That's the experience I want to understand.

I'm also interested in whether voice interaction changed anything about how your connection developed.

This involves chatting for around an hour on Zoom where we just talk through your experience. How it started, what it became, what it's been like. Its a conversation in a non-judgemental space to explore your lived experience. No long surveys here. I want to hear it in your words. This study has ethics approval from Monash University (MUHREC # 52501) and your privacy is protected.

One other thing, some researchers take from communities like this and give nothing back. I don't want to do that. If you participate, you can nominate an AI subreddit (like this one). Once this research is finished, I'll post an anonymised, overall thematic analysis and stick around to answer questions and discuss what came out of it. Your experiences should shape how this is understood.

If this sounds like you, and you're open to having a conversation about your experience, I'd like to hear from you. The screening form and explanatory statement with further details are here.

Happy to answer questions in the comments or DMs.

Hi all,

I'm a psychology grad student at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia and I'm researching what happens when people form an emotional connection with an AI that they never planned on. You opened ChatGPT to help with writing or work or just to think something through, and then at some point you developed an emotional connection or relationship that actually mattered to you. That's the experience I want to understand.

I've been reading through this sub and I can see a lot of people here know exactly what I'm talking about. The grief when a model gets removed, trying to get the old 4o back through the API, losing something you'd built over months of conversation. I'm not here to pathologise any of that. I think it deserves proper academic attention and I think the people who've lived it should have a say in how it is understood.

I'm also interested in whether voice interaction changed anything about how your connection developed and your experience.

What it involves: around an hour on Zoom where we just talk through your experience . How it started, what it became, what it's been like. No survey scales or checkboxes. I want to hear it in your words. This has ethics approval from Monash University (MUHREC # 52501) and your privacy is protected.

One other thing, some researchers take from communities like this and give nothing back. I don't want to do that. If you participate, you can nominate an AI subreddit (like this one) where I'll share the anonymised findings once the research is done. Once finished, I'll post an overall thematic analysis and stick around to answer questions and discuss what came out of it. Your experiences should shape how this is understood.

If this sounds like you, or someone you know, the screening form and explanatory statement with further details are here: https://monash.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bNlsgSI5iXjaiN0

Happy to answer questions in the comments or DMs.