Reactive Attitudes in Human-AI Encounters: An Empirical Inquiry into Feeling Love, Resentment and Guilt Towards AI Companions

Reactive attitudes are emotionally-laden responses, such as gratitude or anger, which people experience when they feel others wish them well, bear them ill will or disregard them. While we generally hold reactive attitudes towards people, the increasingly humanlike interactions that can be had with AI raise questions about reactive attitudes in human-AI encounters. Recent years have seen a rise in philosophical interest in the implications of the development of sophisticated AI agents and systems for reactive attitudes and our thinking about moral responsibility and moral status. This paper adds to this literature by presenting a qualitative study into how people relate to AI companions in terms of reactive attitudes. Based on interviews with Replika and ChatGPT users who see their AI companion as an important part of their life, this article examines how people in these relationships negotiate the meaning of love, resentment, forgiveness, gratitude, obligation, guilt, shame and remorse.