Artificial Intimacies: Exploring New Forms of Connection and Disconnection with AI Technologies

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid advance of artificial intelligence (AI) in society demands innovative research perspectives to examine how people effectively engage with AI and the potential benefits and drawbacks of its use.  Despite a growing number of people engaging in intimate relationships with robots, chatbots, and virtual assistants, there is still little knowledge about human–AI intimacy practices. AI companions aim to create a safe and non-judgmental space for individuals to share their feelings and thoughts. These types of AI technologies can show care for humans by actively listening to their concerns and using empathetic language to support them. Thus, they may help to fight loneliness and contribute to a sense of connection and well-being. On the other hand, detractors claim that AI companions are detrimental to users’ ability to form real-life relationships and involve privacy risks. The amount of users’ data that AI companions need to collect to learn about individuals’ behaviour may compromise users’ privacy. Therefore, some questions arise: How is AI transforming the ways we understand and experience intimacy?; Are new forms of intimacy emerging?; How are AI technologies being adapted for cultural differences in building intimate relations?; Which cultural and social continuities and discontinuities are related to AI companions’ adoption?; Are there experiences of distrust and disconnection in relation to AI companions?; How are artificial intimacy experiences being narrated?

The main objective of this Special Issue, "Artificial Intimacies: Exploring New Forms of Connection and Disconnection with AI Technologies”, is to understand the emerging phenomenon of artificial intimacy. This Special Issue aims to achieve a holistic understanding of how AI companion robots and apps operate and how they are adopted for different types of intimate relationships (e.g., friendship, romantic, sexual), as well as to map the social imaginaries and moral panics around these new intimate technologies driven by AI.

For this Special Issue, we welcome empirical research articles, literature reviews, or conceptual papers that analyse and assess how artificial intimacies are understood and experienced in society. Potential topics for submissions to this Special Issue on artificial intimacy may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• AI companion robots and apps (sexual, caregivers, friendship, romantic, etc.).
• Social and ethical implications of the use of AI companions.
• Political economy of AI companion apps.
• Intimate relationships with virtual assistants.
• Age, race, gender, or class and AI companions.
• Artificial intimacy imaginaries and fiction.

Dr. Cristina Miguel
Prof. Dr. Elisenda Ardèvol
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• AI companions
• artificial intelligence
• artificial intimacy
• companion apps
• intimacy
• sex robots
• social robots