Emotional Comfort or Technological Delusion? Unveiling Public Perceptions and Attitudes Toward AI Companions Based on Video Social Medias

AI companions, driven by artificial intelligence, are increasingly embedded in users’ daily lives via anthropomorphic and interactive conversational experiences. Although these systems can offer emotional support, they also raise concerns regarding algorithmic bias or data security. A comprehensive understanding of public perceptions is therefore essential for promoting healthy human-AI relationships. This paper investigates public perceptions of AI companions using 613 videos and 33,133 comments from two video platforms. Combining text mining and large language model-based sentiment analysis, it examines public topics and sentiment patterns regarding AI companions from multiple dimensions. Public attention surged after generative AI’s rise in 2023, with a pronounced “East-West divide” in user engagement. Discussions cover society (role substitution, family) and technology (companionship, anthropomorphism), with notable differences in the topics between men and women, and overall sentiment is positive. Moreover, personality traits also influence attitudes. By comparing these results with existing studies, it highlights how Chinese cultural contexts shape public perceptions. Drawing on diverse user-generated data from video platforms, the study offers valuable insights for the better design, marketing, and policymaking of AI companions.