What happens when AI doesn’t just answer us, but feels close to us? That was the question more than 50,000 students across Germany explored on Safer Internet Day 2026, under the theme “AI and me. In an artificial relationship.”
Our team member Paula Ebner, brought current research on human-chatbot relationships into the classroom discussion. She explained why emotional attachment to AI companions is psychologically understandable and why critical awareness matters.
“Many companion bots are deliberately designed to create closeness,” she noted. Our brains automatically apply social scripts, even to artificial agents.
At the same time, she stressed the importance of responsibility: “We must not forget: behind these chatbots are ultimately companies that are not only interested in users’ well-being, but also in profit. Anyone who uses companion apps should keep this in mind and consciously maintain control over closeness, time, and data.”
The event, organized by klicksafe within the Safer Internet DE network, highlighted just how relevant AI companions already are in young people’s lives and why research, education, and policy need to work together to shape digital intimacy responsibly.
Photo: klicksafe/Axel Heiter
INTITEC 
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