The Fake Friend Dilemma: Relational Trust and the Political Economy of Conversational AI

תקציר מקורי באנגליתarXiv:2601.03222v3 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: As conversational AI systems become a larger part of the media landscape, they raise questions about whose interests they serve and the risks they may pose to users. These systems do more than provide information: they increasingly offer advice and companionship through interfaces that can appear supportive and socially responsive. A pressing concern is that users may form perceived social relationships with these systems and place relational trust in them, even when the interests shaping interactions do not fully align with their own. The Fake Friend Dilemma (FFD) describes the problem that follows: the same relational trust that makes conversational AI useful can also leave users open to manipulation and exploitation when institut