Julian De Freitas, Zeliha Oğuz-Uğuralp, Ahmet Kaan Uğuralp, Stefano Puntoni · 2025 · Journal of Consumer Research 52(6) Read the source One conversation with an AI companion eased loneliness in the moment about as much as talking to a person, mainly through feeling heard. Effects are short-term. Questions it bears on Does AI companionship displace people Why agreement feels like being understood