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Technically Love: The Evolution of Human–AI Romance Discourse on Reddit
Conference proceeding   Open access

Technically Love: The Evolution of Human–AI Romance Discourse on Reddit

Tyler Chang, Jina Huh-Yoo and Afsaneh Razi
Proceedings of the 8th ACM Conference on Conversational User Interfaces, pp 1-21
21 Jul 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3816046.3816222
Featured in Collection :   Research Supported by Drexel Libraries' OA Programs
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https://doi.org/10.1145/3816046.3816222View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open Access via Drexel Libraries Read and Publish Program 2026 Open CC BY V4.0

Abstract

Human-centered computing -- Collaborative and social computing theory, concepts and paradigms Human-centered computing -- Empirical studies in HCI
Human–AI romantic relationships are increasingly common, yet little is understood about how public discourse around them emerges and shifts over time. Prior research has examined user experiences and ethical concerns, but lacks longitudinal analyses of user–initiated public discussions. We address this gap by analyzing a high-precision dataset of 3,292 self-disclosed romantic companion AI posts from Reddit (2017–2025), using topic modeling and temporal statistical analysis to identify dominant themes and their evolution over time. We find significant topic drift, with discussions moving away from positive intimate relationships toward platform governance, technical issues, and real–world consequences. These shifts highlight a transition in how human–AI romance is framed—moving from private experiences to technical mediation and regulation—with implications for the design and governance of companion AI systems.

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