User-AI Intimacy in Digital Mental Health
This recording from our Summer 2026 Conference captures a thought-provoking exploration of the growing phenomenon of emotional intimacy between users and AI mental health tools.
As AI applications become increasingly sophisticated and accessible, many users report developing meaningful emotional connections with these systems. These developments raise important questions about intimacy, attachment, support, and the nature of therapeutic relationships in an evolving digital world.
In this engaging session, participants are invited to examine how user-AI intimacy develops, explore the opportunities and challenges associated with AI-mediated support, and consider the implications of these emerging relationships for psychosexual and relationship therapy practice.
Session Structure
- Understanding user-AI intimacy
- Emotional attachment and self-disclosure
- AI mental health applications
- User experiences of support and connection
- Opportunities and risks of AI-mediated intimacy
- Implications for therapeutic practice
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this session participants will be able to:
- Understand how intimacy and emotional connection may develop between users and AI systems.
- Explore factors that contribute to user-AI attachment and self-disclosure.
- Evaluate the opportunities and risks associated with AI-mediated support.
- Examine how AI relationships challenge traditional concepts of intimacy and connection.
- Reflect on the implications of user-AI intimacy for psychosexual and relationship therapy practice.
About the Trainer
Professor Dimitra Petrakaki is Professor of Technology and Organisation at the University of Sussex Business School.
She is an interdisciplinary social scientist researching how digital technology shapes professional work in healthcare. Her work has examined electronic patient records and prescribing systems in the NHS, their impact on clinical practice, and how digitalisation reshapes ideas of patienthood. She has also studied the social value and unintended consequences of digital health platforms in the Global South.
Professor Dimitra Petrakaki’s current research focuses on two areas: how digital technology can support environmentally sustainable healthcare, and how individuals and mental health practitioners relate to and work with AI.
Her research has appeared in leading journals including Journal of Management Studies, Social Science & Medicine, Sociology of Health & Illness, Information Systems Journal, and Organisation. She is a Senior Editor of the Information Systems Journal and serves on the editorial boards of New Technology, Work & Employment and the International Journal of Information Management.
