“It feels like a small God”: A Thematic Analysis of Cross-Cultural Imaginations of Generative AI Among Users Seeking Emotional and Mental Health Support

Abstract

Introduction: Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly used for emotional and mental support (EMS), a self-help process in which users often report developing perceptions of GenAI as being empathic and friend-like. These processes highlighted the possibility that human beings develop imaginations of GenAI chatbots that may reflect interpersonal needs and desires with important ethical implications. The objective of this study is to systematically explore, thematically organize, and critically interpret the imaginations of GenAI among users who repeatedly use GenAI for EMS.Methods: This study recruited 270 adults from 29 countries who utilized GenAI repeatedly for EMS in April 2024. Participants provided qualitative data regarding their imagination of one GenAI, ChatGPT. Results: Thematic analysis revealed that users develop imaginations around ontological identities (“what”) and functional characterizations (“how”) of GenAI. The “what” clustered along two dimensions: Abstract-Concrete and Human-Nonhuman, yielding representations such as unbounded energy, spiritual beings, social roles, humans, and robots. The “how” encompassed five themes: looking (physical traits and manifestations), knowing (cognitive abilities), doing (agency), feeling(emotional abilities), and relating (interpersonal capacities).Discussion: The findings suggest a societal shift in which GenAI is not only used as an informational tool but also imagined as an all-knowing, powerful, and highly interpersonal being. Examining these imaginations offers a psychologically grounded lens on emerging human-AI relationships and highlights the need to assess potential benefits and risks of such projections for human flourishing across diverse populations. Keywords: GenAI, Emotional and Mental Health Support, Imagination, Fantasy, Thematic Analysis

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