# Computer says "No": The Case Against Empathetic Conversational AI

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2212.10983 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.10983/

## Key facts

- Cited by 9 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 3 of its 27 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 21 Dec 2022.

## Builds on (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Anticipating Safety Issues in E2E Conversational AI: Framework and Tooling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.03451/) (2021)
- [Building a Dialogue Corpus Annotated with Expressed and Experienced Emotions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.11867/) (2022)
- [A Critical Reflection and Forward Perspective on Empathy and Natural Language Processing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.16604/) (2022)

## Built on by (most cited first, 9 of 9)

- [ELEPHANT: Measuring and understanding social sycophancy in LLMs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.13995/) (2025)
- [Mirages: On Anthropomorphism in Dialogue Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.09800/) (2023)
- [The Illusion of Empathy: How AI Chatbots Shape Conversation Perception](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.12877/) (2024)
- [FairMonitor: A Dual-framework for Detecting Stereotypes and Biases in Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.03098/) (2024)
- [Challenges of GPT-3-based Conversational Agents for Healthcare](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.14641/) (2023)
- [If LLMs Have Human-Like Attributes, Then So Does Age of Empires II](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.31514/) (2026)
- [Evaluating Prompt Engineering Strategies for Sentiment Control in AI-Generated Texts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.06692/) (2026)
- [Assessing the Effectiveness of LLMs in Delivering Cognitive Behavioral Therapy](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.03862/) (2026)
- [From Chatbots to Confidants: A Cross-Cultural Study of LLM Adoption for Emotional Support](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.25525/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Emotions are an integral part of human cognition and they guide not only our understanding of the world but also our actions within it. As such, whether we soothe or flame an emotion is not inconsequential. Recent work in conversational AI has focused on responding empathetically to users, validating and soothing their emotions without a real basis. This AI-aided emotional regulation can have negative consequences for users and society, tending towards a one-noted happiness defined as only the absence of "negative" emotions. We argue that we must carefully consider whether and how to respond to users' emotions.