Survey study reveals that perceived emotional capability reduces attitudinal ambivalence toward conversational AI in users, indicating that relational closeness diminishes perceived threat.
Drawing on Theory of Mind and Communication Privacy Management Theory, this study examines how perceived emotional capability affects attitudinal ambivalence toward conversational AI through self-disclosure and information sensitivity. Survey data from 911 Chinese users reveal that emotional capability significantly increases self-disclosure, which in turn reduces attitudinal ambivalence. Information sensitivity weakens this effect. Additional analyses show that emotional capability simultaneously strengthens ally perceptions and weakens enemy perceptions. This paper conceptualizes this process as an emotional communion effect, whereby emotional AI reduces attitudinal conflict by fostering relational closeness while diminishing perceived threat. The findings advance communication research on human – AI relationships and emotional AI design.
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Xiaoxiao Meng (2026) studied this question.
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