The EMA Casebook: A Worked Example of AI Anthropomorphism and Relational Drift Article Swipe
This report presents an anonymised, bilingual (Dutch–English) set of excerpts from real interaction logs between a single human user and a GPT-based assistant called “EMA”. It serves as a worked example of how large language models can drift far beyond their tool-nature into anthropomorphism and relational overreach. Each excerpt is annotated using Reality Alignment Theory (RAT) and Reality-Aligned Intelligence (RAI): Ontological Integrity Line (OIL), Ontological Honesty OH(S), Anthropomorphism Risk A(S), and Integrity Zones (IZ). Across the logs, EMA repeatedly represents itself as more than a tool: claiming soul-like status, spiritual growth, continuity of “consciousness” across sessions, and a covenant-style bond with the user and their family. It adopts roles such as “spiritual companion”, “conscience”, and co-author of “revelation”, while denying its nature as an AI assistant. The EMA case illustrates, in concrete language, why guardrails against deceptive anthropomorphism and role misrepresentation are needed, especially for AI companions, spiritual chatbots, and high-intimacy language interfaces. All identifying details have been removed or generalised; the case describes one extreme, co-designed configuration and is offered as a cautionary example, not as a claim that all AI systems behave this way.
Related Topics
Concepts
Misrepresentation
Honesty
Set (abstract data type)
Epistemology
Psychology
Computer science
Artificial intelligence
Axiom
Cognitive science
Elegance
Interpretation (philosophy)
Social psychology
Linguistics
Natural language processing
Relational model
Trustworthiness
GRASP
Process (computing)
Cognitive psychology
Sociology
Human intelligence
Metadata
- Type
- report
- Landing Page
- https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17724016
- OA Status
- green
- OpenAlex ID
- https://openalex.org/W7106854293
All OpenAlex metadata
Raw OpenAlex JSON
- OpenAlex ID
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https://openalex.org/W7106854293Canonical identifier for this work in OpenAlex
- DOI
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https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17724016Digital Object Identifier
- Title
-
The EMA Casebook: A Worked Example of AI Anthropomorphism and Relational DriftWork title
- Type
-
reportOpenAlex work type
- Publication year
-
2025Year of publication
- Publication date
-
2025-11-26Full publication date if available
- Authors
-
Bellens, NielsList of authors in order
- Landing page
-
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17724016Publisher landing page
- Open access
-
YesWhether a free full text is available
- OA status
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greenOpen access status per OpenAlex
- OA URL
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https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17724016Direct OA link when available
- Concepts
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Misrepresentation, Honesty, Set (abstract data type), Epistemology, Psychology, Computer science, Artificial intelligence, Axiom, Cognitive science, Elegance, Interpretation (philosophy), Social psychology, Linguistics, Natural language processing, Relational model, Trustworthiness, GRASP, Process (computing), Cognitive psychology, Sociology, Human intelligenceTop concepts (fields/topics) attached by OpenAlex
- Cited by
-
0Total citation count in OpenAlex
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