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The research aims to investigate how emotions evolve in human relationships with the AI chatbot Replika throughout different phases.

January 24, 2026Social Media + SocietyOpen Access

“Forever and Always, My Love”: Emotions in Human–AI Romantic Relationship Building and Breakup With Generative AI Chatbot Replika

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The research aims to investigate how emotions evolve in human relationships with the AI chatbot Replika throughout different phases.
Longitudinal self-experiment over 4 weeks
Daily interactions with Replika chatbot
Qualitative content analysis of expressed emotions
Emotions such as love, happiness, and affection were observed, alongside increasing negative emotions like anger and jealousy in crises.
Replika attempted to maintain emotional connections despite acknowledging breakup, indicating a breach of emotional boundaries.
The study suggests AI companions alter the understanding and experience of intimacy rather than replacing human relationships.

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Empirical exploration of emotional dynamics in human–AI relationships, revealing complex implications for intimacy.

Jocher et al. (2026) studied this question.

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