Title: "She's Like a Person but Better": Characterizing Companion-Assistant Dynamics in Human-AI Relationships Show Chinese title

Title: “她像一个人但更好”：在人机关系中表征伴侣-助手动态

Abstract: Large language models are increasingly used for both task-based assistance and social companionship, yet research has typically focused on one or the other. Drawing on a survey (N = 204) and 30 interviews with high-engagement ChatGPT and Replika users, we characterize digital companionship as an emerging form of human-AI relationship. With both systems, users were drawn to humanlike qualities, such as emotional resonance and personalized responses, and non-humanlike qualities, such as constant availability and inexhaustible tolerance. This led to fluid chatbot uses, such as Replika as a writing assistant and ChatGPT as an emotional confidant, despite their distinct branding. However, we observed challenging tensions in digital companionship dynamics: participants grappled with bounded personhood, forming deep attachments while denying chatbots "real" human qualities, and struggled to reconcile chatbot relationships with social norms. These dynamics raise questions for the design of digital companions and the rise of hybrid, general-purpose AI systems. Show Chinese abstract

Abstract: 大型语言模型越来越多地用于基于任务的协助和社会陪伴，但研究通常只关注其中一方面。 基于一项调查（N = 204）和对高参与度的ChatGPT和Replika用户的30次访谈，我们将数字陪伴描述为一种新兴的人机关系形式。 在两个系统中，用户都被类似人类的特质所吸引，例如情感共鸣和个性化回应，以及非人类的特质，例如持续可用性和无尽的容忍度。 这导致了灵活的聊天机器人使用方式，例如将Replika用作写作助手，将ChatGPT用作情感知己，尽管它们有不同的品牌定位。 然而，我们观察到数字陪伴动态中的挑战性矛盾：参与者在有限的人格性方面挣扎，既形成深厚的情感依赖，又否认聊天机器人具有“真实”的人类特质，并努力调和聊天机器人关系与社会规范之间的冲突。 这些动态对数字伴侣的设计以及混合型通用人工智能系统的兴起提出了问题。