Review
Open access
Aug 2026
The understanding gap: when functionality looks like understanding
An understanding gap is illuminated: user attributions are partly guided by epistemic orientation and experiential ascriptions that make sophisticated simulation appear as understanding, especially in affective interaction, raising urgent questions about epistemic trust, relational vulnerability, and the ethics of AI companionship.
Erez Firt, Rinat B. Rosenberg-Kima
· AI & SOCIETY · 0 citations