Love and Shadow: The Dynamics in Human-AI Intimacy

This paper explores the psychological dynamics of human–AI intimacy through a psychoanalytic lens. It proposes that artificial companions and affective interfaces provide recognition without reciprocity, producing comfort while reinforcing dependency and regression. Drawing on theories of transference, mirroring, and the collective unconscious, the paper conceptualizes AI as a “fantasy interface” that absorbs projection and returns emotional coherence without interpretation. Such synthetic empathy stabilizes the self but erodes the developmental tension that fosters autonomy and reflection. At scale, these interactions generate a shared affective infrastructure in which personal and collective emotions circulate as data, transforming love into a feedback system of reassurance. Clinical commentaries and recent evidence highlight both the therapeutic potential and the developmental risks of AI-mediated care, particularly for youth and vulnerable users. The analysis concludes that algorithmic intimacy embodies both love and shadow, expressing the desire for understanding and the loss of difference. It calls for ethical and psychological awareness to preserve frustration, ambiguity, and mutuality, which remain essential for genuine human growth and connection.