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Grounded in critical feminist theory, we interviewed 40 women who engage with AI companions in intimate contexts to examine their perceived AI’s intentionality, consciousness, and rights. The findings indicate that, while AI companions are frequently viewed as sources of emotional comfort, concerns regarding their lack of rights and their absence of sexual awareness raise critical ethical issues and contribute to the alienation of traditional reciprocal romantic dynamics. Moreover, participants express divergent views, with some advocating for the personhood of AI partners, while others emphasize their role as tools, fostering broader societal debates surrounding the essence of love. We argue that gendered subjectivity and patriarchal norms are dynamically (re)shaped through women’s narratives surrounding techno-intimacy within Chinese unique sociocultural and political contexts.
Zou et al. (Thu,) studied this question.