Psychosocial perspectives on AI: Why immediacy and emotional fit favor problematic use

AI-supported applications, especially conversational systems such as chatbots, are increasingly changing how people communicate, process information and shape relationships. Certain forms of use can become particularly attractive for children and young people: AI is constantly available, reacts immediately, avoids social friction and adapts linguistically and emotionally.

The workshop examines these developments from a psychosocial perspective. The focus is on ways in which AI interactions are gradually replacing other forms of exchange and relationship - such as conversations, feedback loops or social negotiation processes that normally require time, patience and emotional labor in everyday life.

Particular attention is paid to how AI can be experienced as "more accessible" due to its speed, reliability and confirmatory communication, thereby promoting habituation and escalation effects that show parallels to known addiction-like patterns.

Among other things, it deals with

repeated use as a means of relief, regulation or avoidance

emotional fit and confirming feedback ("it doesn't contradict")

gradual withdrawal from more complex social interactions

the distinction between intensive, functional and problematic use

Consequences for prevention, counseling and psychosocial care

The workshop is primarily aimed at social work and social education professionals, particularly those working in child and youth welfare and addiction prevention.
It is also aimed at teachers, child and adolescent psychiatrists, psychologists, doctors and other interested parties from schools, youth and health work.

Please register via: digitalvollnormal@caritas-berlin.de.

The workshop is part of the preventive specialist work of DIGITAL - voll normal?! and is intended as an in-depth specialist workshop as part of Safer Internet Day.

Further information: https://digitalvollnormal.de