In the hierarchy

1. Part II: Societal & Human Concerns
2. D12. Human–Computer Interaction Harms
3. 12.2 Anthropomorphism, companionship & attachment

Virtues and principles to explore

Held as inquiry, not as a verdict.

• Dignity

  Center principle

  Every person is a protagonist, not a data point.

• Listening

  Trust

  Listen to understand, rather than listen to speak.

• Seeing potential

  Hope

  Ask what people could become with these tools, not whom they replace.

Starter questions

Written to probe curiosity and learning, not accusation.

1. 01What would trustworthiness look like here: what we do, what we say, and the belief others form?
2. 02What would it look like if we held “AI therapy substitutes” with proportion rather than alarm?
3. 03If we named this complication in advance, what small, reversible step would let us learn?
4. 04How would we know we were getting this wrong? What would we observe, without blaming a person?

Also on this branch

• AI companions as friends12
• AI romantic partners12
• AI grief companions12
• Parasocial attachment escalation12
• Persona persistence & manipulation12
• Loneliness dependence12

Frameworks and sources

• NIST AI 600-1 Generative AI Profileframework