AI can be more comforting than a person - our research shows why

Researchers at the universities of Manchester and Durham conducted five experiments comparing emotional-support messages written by people with those produced by large language models like ChatGPT. Participants rated AI messages as more emotionally supportive in anger and fear scenarios, aligning with a review of 23 studies showing an 'AI advantage' in perceived empathy. A survey also found that 22% of 18- to 21-year-olds have sought emotional support from generative AI.