At MediaPsych 2025 at University of Duisburg–Essen, the biennial meeting of the Media Psychology Division of the German Association of Psychology, INTITEC delivered new research, brought home a poster award, and sparked spirited debate.
Spotlight talk “Large Language Love: State of Knowledge and Open Questions on Intimate Human-Chatbot Relationships”
Dr. Jessica Szczuka delivered a position paper synthesizing the first empirical evidence on romantic relationships with chatbots—drawing on INTITEC’s projects and related international work. The talk:
- Cut through hype and panic: cautioning against sensational narratives and tech doomsday claims in public discourse.
- Called for sharper theory: noting that existing frameworks remain too imprecise to capture the emotional, motivational, and relational nuances of human–chatbot bonds—and arguing against pigeonholing them as merely “parasocial” or “synthetic.”
- Set an empirical agenda: highlighting open questions and the need for robust, transparent, and privacy-aware research methods.
A forthcoming commentary co-authored with Jaime Banks will expand these points and outline priorities for the field.
INTITEC contributions at a glance
Poster award for dissertation work on AI intimacy
Lisa Mühl offered a first glimpse into her dissertation within SENTIMENT (funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space). The poster captured early findings showing how quickly people disclose deeply personal—and at times spicy—content to conversational AI. The work underscores the urgent need for stronger privacy safeguards in emotionally intimate human–AI interactions.
Result: Lisa received a poster award — congratulations!
Mixed-methods study on the global cam economy
Paula Ebner presented a collaborative project supported by the Le Shaw Institute: a mixed-methods dataset from 331 cam models across 27 countries. The study examines:
- motivations for entering the field and the role of money in starting and sustaining work,
- how platform structures shape professional identity, and
- digital risks including doxxing, content leaks, and harassment.The manuscript is currently under review.
A holistic model of chatbot relationship development
Former M.Sc. student Natalia Szymczyk presented a theoretically grounded, qualitatively enriched model of relationship development with chatbots, focusing on romantic patterns. Built on datasets from Paula Ebner and Jaime Banks, the model aims to differentiate relationship types and stages, offering a clearer vocabulary for future research.
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