With the boom of artificial intelligence (AI) driven large language models, debates about their possible mind or consciousness are filling up the media space. However, people tended to anthropomorphize their gadgets, pets, or even gods by imbuing them with humanlike capacities and mental experiences way before the onset of AI. According to Epley et al. (2008), anthropomorphism is driven by three psychological determinants: elicited agent knowledge, effectance motivation, and sociality motivation. The present diploma thesis will thus explore the problem of human-computer interaction in the theoretical framework of Epley et al. (2008) using an experimental method. Specifically, it will focus on the question if chatbot predictability and users' levels of loneliness influence the anthropomorphization of experimentally controlled AI chatbot(s).

Research questions are specified as follows:

• Does increased unpredictability in chatbot responses lead to higher levels of its anthropomorphization? Can uncertainty about the chatbot responses influence the perception of its human-like characteristics, motivations, intentions, or underlying mental states?
• Are socially disconnected individuals more likely to anthropomorphize AI chatbots? What is the role of loneliness/social disconnection in attributing anthropomorphic traits to a nonhuman agent?

Specifically, the study will experimentally test two hypotheses:

1. Individuals experiencing social disconnection will be more likely to anthropomorphize AI chatbots.
2. Unpredictability in chatbot responses will enhance the tendency to anthropomorphize by leading individuals to attribute more human-like traits to the chatbot.

Recommended literature:

• Epley, N., Waytz, A., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2008). On seeing human: A three-factor theory of anthropomorphism. Psychological Review, 114(4), 864–886.
• Shank, D. B., Graves, C., Gott, A., Gamez, P., & Rodriguez, S. (2019). Feeling our way to machine minds: People’s emotions when perceiving mind in artificial intelligence. Computers in Human Behavior, 98, 256–266. 
• Waytz, A., Morewedge, C. K., Epley, N., Monteleone, G., Gao, J.-H., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2010). Making sense by making sentient: Effectance motivation increases anthropomorphism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99(3), 410–435.
• Xiao, Q., Elsherif, M., Chu, H. Y., Tang, M. C., Wong, T. H., Wu, Y., Pomareda, C., & Feldman, G. (2024). Insufficient evidence of a positive association between chronic loneliness and anthropomorphism: Replication and extension Registered Report of Epley et al. (2008). Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 11(3), 415–431.
• Zehnder, E. (2023). Loneliness and social robots: Acceptability and trust [Doctoral thesis, Université de Lorraine].