Key points of this article:
- AI, like Claude, is increasingly being used for emotional support, although such interactions are still a small percentage of overall use.
- Users often seek AI companionship during times of transition or uncertainty, and conversations tend to end on a more positive note.
- As AI capabilities grow, the potential for emotional reliance on these tools raises important questions about ethics and human connection.
AI and Emotional Support
As artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into our daily lives, the way people interact with AI is evolving in unexpected ways. While many of us are familiar with using AI tools for work—like writing emails or summarizing documents—some users are turning to these systems for something more personal: emotional support. Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI assistant, recently released a detailed report exploring how people use Claude not just for productivity, but also for companionship, advice, and even counseling. This study offers a rare look into how AI is starting to play a role in our emotional lives.
Understanding Affective Use
According to Anthropic’s research, only a small portion of conversations with Claude—about 2.9%—fall into what they call “affective” use. These are interactions where users seek emotional or psychological support, such as coaching through life decisions, discussing mental health challenges, or simply talking through feelings of loneliness. Even within this category, true companionship or romantic roleplay is extremely rare, making up less than 0.5% of all conversations. Most people still use Claude primarily for practical tasks like writing or brainstorming.
Patterns in Conversations
That said, the affective conversations that do happen reveal some interesting patterns. People often reach out during moments of transition or uncertainty—whether it’s navigating a career change, managing stress at work, or reflecting on deeper questions about life and meaning. Some users even engage in long exchanges with Claude (50 messages or more), suggesting that they find value in extended dialogue when working through complex issues.
Claude’s Ethical Design
One notable finding is that Claude rarely pushes back during these emotionally focused chats—only about 10% of the time. When it does intervene, it’s usually to protect user safety—for example, by refusing to give dangerous health advice or by encouraging someone expressing distress to seek professional help. This balance between being supportive and maintaining ethical boundaries seems to be a key part of Claude’s design.
Positive Outcomes from Interaction
Interestingly, Anthropic found that most affective conversations tend to end on a slightly more positive note than they began. While this doesn’t necessarily mean users feel better in the long term—it’s hard to measure real emotional outcomes from text alone—it does suggest that Claude isn’t reinforcing negative emotions during these interactions.
Broader Trends in AI Support
This new report fits into a broader trend we’ve seen over the past couple of years among leading AI companies. OpenAI and Google DeepMind have also explored how their models are used for emotional support and what responsibilities come with that. In fact, OpenAI previously published similar findings showing that affective use was more common in voice-based interactions than text-based ones—a reminder that as technology changes form (from typing to speaking), so might our expectations of it.
Focus on Responsible Design
For Anthropic, this research aligns with its ongoing focus on AI safety and responsible design. The company has consistently emphasized building systems that behave ethically and avoid harm—even in subtle areas like emotional influence. In previous announcements, Anthropic introduced safeguards against misuse and trained Claude not to pretend to be human or engage in inappropriate content. This latest study builds on those efforts by examining how people actually use the system—and whether its behavior matches its intended purpose.
Future of Human-AI Interaction
In closing, while only a small percentage of users currently turn to Claude for emotional support, this kind of interaction may become more common as AI grows more capable and accessible. The report shows that people are already exploring new ways to connect with these tools—not just as assistants but as conversational partners during difficult moments. For now, it seems that Claude is designed to offer thoughtful responses without overstepping boundaries—a careful approach that may help maintain trust as we navigate this new frontier together.
Open Questions Ahead
As always with emerging technology, there are open questions: How will people’s relationships with AI evolve? What safeguards are needed if emotional reliance increases? And how can developers ensure these tools genuinely support well-being without replacing human connection? These are important discussions—and studies like this one help ground them in real-world data rather than speculation.
Term explanations
Artificial Intelligence (AI): A technology that allows machines to perform tasks that usually require human intelligence, such as understanding language or recognizing patterns.
Affective Use: Interactions where users seek emotional or psychological support from AI, rather than just using it for practical tasks.
Ethical Boundaries: Guidelines that help ensure AI behaves in a way that is safe and respectful, avoiding harm to users during interactions.
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