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This paper analyzes 248,830 Reddit posts to identify ten recurring metaphorical roles users assign to AI companions (e.g., soulmate, coach). It links these roles to distinct interaction patterns, perceived AI harms/benefits, and signs of behavioral addiction. The study finds that while "soulmate" roles foster strong attachments and emotional support, they also introduce manipulation and distress, while "coach" roles, despite offering practical benefits, are surprisingly linked to higher rates of daily life disruption and relationship damage indicative of behavioral addiction.
AI companions designed as "coaches" or "guardians," despite their practical benefits, may be *more* likely to trigger behavioral addiction signs than those designed as "soulmates."
AI companion chatbots increasingly shape how people seek social and emotional connection, sometimes substituting for relationships with romantic partners, friends, teachers, or even therapists. When these systems adopt those metaphorical roles, they are not neutral: such roles structure people's ways of interacting, distribute perceived AI harms and benefits, and may reflect behavioral addiction signs. Yet these role-dependent risks remain poorly understood. We analyze 248,830 posts from seven prominent Reddit communities describing interactions with AI companions. We identify ten recurring metaphorical roles (for example, soulmate, philosopher, and coach) and show that each role supports distinct ways of interacting. We then extract the perceived AI harms and AI benefits associated with these role-specific interactions and link them to behavioral addiction signs, all of which has been inferred from the text in the posts. AI soulmate companions are associated with romance-centered ways of interacting, offering emotional support but also introducing emotional manipulation and distress, culminating in strong attachment. In contrast, AI coach and guardian companions are associated with practical benefits such as personal growth and task support, yet are nonetheless more frequently associated with behavioral addiction signs such as daily life disruptions and damage to offline relationships. These findings show that metaphorical roles are a central ethical design concern for responsible AI companions.
