Outsourcing Emotions to GenAI: The Risk of Bypassing Identity Development

Citation

Lai T & Archer A (2026) Outsourcing Emotions to GenAI: The Risk of Bypassing Identity Development. Philosophy & Technology, 39 (4), Art. No.: 193. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-026-01203-4

Abstract
There is growing research on how and when the use of Generative AI (henceforth GenAI) in cognitive tasks may lead to a decline in the users' cognitive capacities. There is emerging evidence that Generative AI also presents us with the opportunity to outsource some emotional tasks, such as flirting on dating apps or apologising. We believe that this may enable unsuspecting users to outsource too much of their affective capacities. Here, we wish to focus on a particular problem: insofar as articulating our own emotions is essential to discovering what we value and thereby shaping what sorts of persons we are, users who are heavily dependent on GenAI for emotional tasks risk forgoing crucial opportunities to develop a proper sense of their own identity.

Keywords
AI; Deskilling; Affective injustice; emotions; outsourcing; capacity-hostile environment affective resources and opportunities

Journal
Philosophy & Technology: Volume 39, Issue 4

• Outsourcing Emotions to GenAI: The Risk of Bypassing Identity Development