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Many people use AI for addressing relationship concerns such as compliments and breakup texts.

Even brief AI interactions can increase confidence in a conflict while reducing willingness to reconcile.

Relationships are built through repair and negotiation, not by outsourcing judgment to AI.

As loneliness reaches record levels and more of our lives move online, people are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence for something more than information. AI is becoming a confidant, brainstorming partner, and sounding board for everything from career decisions to difficult conversations with spouses, friends, and family members. At its best, AI can help us think more clearly. The tech world argues that AI should be used as a thinking partner, not a replacement for human judgment.

But this dynamic becomes more complicated in moments of emotional intensity. We are most likely to seek out advice when we are already distressed, uncertain, or hurt, and it is precisely in those moments that we become most vulnerable to influence. Research consistently shows an asymmetry in emotional experience: negative emotions tend to weigh more heavily than positive ones, often by a substantial margin.

When we turn to AI in those negative moments, it enters in a powerful way. After all, it’s a system designed to respond helpfully—and often politely—so, it can easily become a yes-man, reinforcing our perspective rather than challenging it.

Recent studies suggest that even brief interactions with AI can increase confidence in........

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