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Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science

ISSN Print: 2576-0556 Downloads: 1367204 Total View: 9221485
Frequency: monthly ISSN Online: 2576-0548 CODEN: JHASAY
Email: jhass@hillpublisher.com
ArticleOpen Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2025.12.006

When the Algorithm Says “I Love You”: The Social Impact and Critical Reflection on AI Lovers

Yuke Li

School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong 999077, China.

*Corresponding author: Yuke Li

Published: December 23,2025

Abstract

The emergence of AI lovers, driven by the groundbreaking advancements in generative AI technology and the increasingly severe global loneliness crisis, reflects a profound and transformative shift in the nature of human-machine relationships in the digital era. Though these AI companions deliver highly customizable emotional support and serve as convenient alternatives to traditional human intimacy, they raise critical ethical and sociological questions concerning the authenticity of artificial emotions, the gradual degradation of interpersonal communication skills, and the growing commodification of human affect in technological contexts. This paper explores the dual impact of AI lovers from a comprehensive interdisciplinary perspective, drawing on psychological attachment theory, critical media studies, and the political economy of labor exploitation, to reveal their dual role as accessible therapeutic resources and insidious vehicles for the exploitation of emotional labor. The analysis underscores the urgent necessity for well-defined ethical frameworks to govern AI’s emotional applications, balancing technological innovation with robust safeguards against excessive emotional dependency and unregulated data exploitation.

Keywords

AI lovers; emotional companionship; loneliness economy; human-machine relationships; generative AI; technological ethics

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How to cite this paper

When the Algorithm Says “I Love You”: The Social Impact and Critical Reflection on AI Lovers

How to cite this paper: Yuke Li. (2025) When the Algorithm Says “I Love You”: The Social Impact and Critical Reflection on AI Lovers. Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science9(12), 2250-2256.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2025.12.006