articleCommunications PsychologyJan 14, 2026GOLD OA

AI outperforms humans in establishing interpersonal closeness in emotionally engaging interactions, but only when labelled as human

University of Freiburg · Heidelberg University

PubMed
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Abstract

With the increasing accessibility of large language models to the public, questions arise about whether, and under what conditions, social-emotional interactions with artificial intelligence (AI) can lead to human-like relationship building. Across two double-blind randomised controlled studies with pre-registered analyses, 492 participants engaged in dyadic online interactions using a modified, text-based version of the 'Fast Friends Procedure' (a method designed to enable rapid relationship building), with pre-generated responses by either human partners or a minimally prompted large language model. When labelled as human, the AI outperformed human partners in establishing feelings of closeness during…

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Topics & keywords

Keywords
  • Closeness
  • Feeling
  • Interpersonal communication
  • Interpersonal relationship
  • Perception
  • Interpersonal interaction
  • Social relation
UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Reduced inequalities
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