AI and Social Well-Being: Opportunities and Risks for Connection, Support, and Inclusion

Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping how people form, maintain, and navigate social relationships and communities. Conversational agents, social robots, recommender systems, matching platforms, and other AI applications now mediate communication, provide companionship and support, influence access to information and communities, and affect participation in social life. Social well-being—encompassing social relationships, perceived and received support, belonging, inclusion, participation, and social networks—is therefore influenced not only by interpersonal and community structures but also by human-AI interaction and AI-mediated communication.While emerging evidence points to opportunities for AI to support connection, reduce isolation, and broaden access to social resources, concerns remain regarding social displacement, emotional dependency, manipulation, exclusion, diminished agency, and unequal access. Existing research is also divided across psychological, communication, technological, and public health perspectives, highlighting the need for an integrated understanding of how AI reshapes social well-being across individual, relational, community, and societal contexts.This Research Topic aims to advance conceptual and empirical understanding of how AI can enhance, undermine, or transform social relationships and well-being. It seeks to examine the psychological, relational, and societal processes through which people experience AI-mediated interpersonal and group interactions; how human-AI relationships influence human-human relationships; and how individuals seek, receive, and provide support through AI systems. It also aims to identify the conditions under which AI-mediated communication can promote meaningful connection, belonging, inclusion, and participation, while limiting social harm and preserving human autonomy. Contributions may address questions concerning the development and maintenance of relationships, the effects of algorithmic mediation on social networks, and the implications of AI use for vulnerable or marginalized populations.To gather further insights into social well-being across AI-mediated and AI-supported communication environments, this Research Topic focuses on social connection, support, relationships, inclusion, belonging, equity, and participation, while welcoming theoretical, empirical, and methodological contributions at the micro-, meso-, and societal levels. We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:- AI-mediated social support and AI-augmented peer-support practices- The effects of human-AI relationships on human-human relationships- Social inclusion, exclusion, belonging, and identity in AI-mediated communities- AI in interpersonal communication, relationship development, relationship maintenance, and participation in social life- Algorithmic recommendation and content curation in relation to social networks, community engagement, and access to social resources- AI use among vulnerable, disadvantaged, or marginalized populations and its implications for social equity- Emotional dependency on AI, social displacement, loneliness, and diminished social agency- The role of AI in fostering social connection, companionship, belonging, and community participation- Ethical, cultural, and developmental considerations in designing AI systems for social well-being- Privacy, autonomy, consent, transparency, and accountability in AI-mediated social interaction- Conceptual frameworks and methodological approaches for studying social well-being in AI-mediated contexts- Qualitative and quantitative research on the characteristics and conditions of effective AI-mediated communication for supporting social well-being Topic editors: Han Li, Zhenhui Peng, Zicheng Zhu Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84033/ai-and-social-well-being-opportunities-and-risks-for-connection-support-and-inclusion