Understanding Human Companionship with Artificial Intelligence: Insights from Replika-related Information Systems Research

Abstract

The emergence of social chatbots designed to simulate emotionally supportive relationships constitutes a substantial advancement in human-technology interaction. Among these, Replika has emerged as the most salient and contentious example, garnering considerable and sustained scholarly attention within the Information Systems (IS) community. Scholars have investigated the processes by which individuals establish and cultivate companionship with Replika, as well as the broader implications of such interactions. Nevertheless, this corpus of knowledge remains fragmented, impeding a comprehensive understanding of what user’ interactions with Replika elucidate about human-AI companionship. This paper undertakes a systematic review of IS literature that centres specifically on Replika, with the objectives of consolidating extant insights and proposing avenues for future research.