# Generative Confidants: How do People Experience Trust in Emotional Support from Generative AI?

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.16656 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.16656/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 18 of its 100 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 23 Jan 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 18 of 18)

- [Trustworthy LLMs: a Survey and Guideline for Evaluating Large Language Models' Alignment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.05374/) (2023)
- [Foundational Challenges in Assuring Alignment and Safety of Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.09932/) (2024)
- [Sociotechnical Safety Evaluation of Generative AI Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.11986/) (2023)
- [Understanding the Benefits and Challenges of Using Large Language Model-based Conversational Agents for Mental Well-being Support](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.15810/) (2023)
- [Expressing stigma and inappropriate responses prevents LLMs from safely replacing mental health providers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.18412/) (2025)
- [Investigating Affective Use and Emotional Well-being on ChatGPT](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.03888/) (2025)
- [Customizing Emotional Support: How Do Individuals Construct and Interact With LLM-Powered Chatbots](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.12943/) (2025)
- [The Typing Cure: Experiences with Large Language Model Chatbots for Mental Health Support](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.14362/) (2024)
- [Evaluating the Experience of LGBTQ+ People Using Large Language Model Based Chatbots for Mental Health Support](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.09260/) (2024)
- [Large Language Model for Mental Health: A Systematic Review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.15401/) (2024)
- [Textwash -- automated open-source text anonymisation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.13081/) (2022)
- [Exploring Interactions Between Trust, Anthropomorphism, and Relationship Development in Voice Assistants](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.01923/) (2021)
- [Truth Machines: Synthesizing Veracity in AI Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.12066/) (2023)
- [Twenty-Four Years of Empirical Research on Trust in AI: A Bibliometric Review of Trends, Overlooked Issues, and Future Directions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.09828/) (2023)
- [Healthcare Voice AI Assistants: Factors Influencing Trust and Intention to Use](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.04543/) (2024)
- [Language Models as Critical Thinking Tools: A Case Study of Philosophers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.04516/) (2024)
- [Understanding Attitudes and Trust of Generative AI Chatbots for Social Anxiety Support](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.15628/) (2025)
- [Why it is worth making an effort with GenAI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.00852/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

People are increasingly turning to generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot) for emotional support and companionship. While trust is likely to play a central role in enabling these informal and unsupervised interactions, we still lack an understanding of how people develop and experience it in this context. Seeking to fill this gap, we recruited 24 frequent users of generative AI for emotional support and conducted a qualitative study consisting of diary entries about interactions, transcripts of chats with AI, and in-depth interviews. Our results suggest important novel drivers of trust in this context: familiarity emerging from personalisation, nuanced mental models of generative AI, and awareness of people's control over conversations. Notably, generative AI's homogeneous use of personalised, positive, and persuasive language appears to promote some of these trust-building factors. However, this also seems to discourage other trust-related behaviours, such as remembering that generative AI is a machine trained to converse in human language. We present implications for future research that are likely to become critical as the use of generative AI for emotional support increasingly overlaps with therapeutic work.