Why your brain treats an AI assistant like a real social partner
The human brain often processes interactions with AI using the same neural pathways reserved for real people, leading us to instinctively apply social norms like politeness to digital entities.
Human brains are hardwired for social connection, causing us to anthropomorphize AI through a phenomenon known as the Computers Are Social Actors paradigm. When an AI uses a human voice or first-person pronouns, our prefrontal cortex often reacts as if we are speaking to a fellow human.
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