Can You Feel?: Loneliness Reduction through Perceived Emotional Authenticity in Artificial Emotional Intelligence Chatbots

The potential of Artificial Emotional Intelligence (AEI) chatbots to reduce social and emotional loneliness among university students is explored in this study, with a particular focus on the mediating function of perceived emotional authenticity (PEA). With a foundation in the field of information systems (IS), the study constructs and evaluates a moderated mediation model empirically by combining theories from emotional computing and human-computer interaction. According to the framework, users' assessments of perceived emotional authenticity act as a mediator between the reduction of loneliness and AEI chatbot capabilities, particularly Emotion Detection and Generation (EDG). The study also explores user characteristics, such as personality traits and digital literacy, as moderating factors that influence the strength and variability of the correlations among loneliness outcomes, perceived authenticity, and chatbot capabilities. AEI chatbots can increase emotional connection and well-being and create meaningful user experiences by mimicking responsive and emotionally resonant conversations. The study employs a structured methodological approach that provides evidence-based insights by combining quantitative measures of perceived authenticity and loneliness. The findings are anticipated to improve psychological well-being and user engagement in AI-driven interactions by supporting the design of emotionally intelligent systems.