[PHILOS-L] CFP for Special Issue "Generative AI Companions: What They Are and Why That Matters"

[Kesavan Thanagopal]

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CFP for Special Issue Generative AI Companions: What They Are and Why That Matters

[Participating journal: Philosophical Studies]

 

Paper submissions are invited for the collection for Philosophical Studies entitled: Generative AI Companions: What They Are and Why That Matters.

https://link.springer.com/collections/iiaagcacje

The special issue aims to explore the ontological status of Generative AI companions and the moral upshot of entering into a relationship with these entities.

 

Description

The pervasiveness of generative AI (GenAI) companion apps and the ease with which one can use them to create companion chatbots to interact with have raised some concerns among the general public. While some recent works in philosophy of technology and AI have focused specifically on GenAI and attempted to address concerns about its effects in society, little work has been done to clarify the philosophical concerns that GenAI companions, in particular, raise. The philosophical challenges presented by GenAI companions differ from those raised by GenAI in general in that, in many situations, users of GenAI companion apps tend to develop what they feel are deep (inter)personal relationships with the chatbots they create through these apps. This “affective” component presents unique complexities often overlooked in a general philosophical study of GenAI (to the extent that this has been done thus far).

This special issue aims to shine a spotlight on these very complexities. At the heart of our inquiry is the following question: Do relationships with GenAI companions pose significant ethical challenges, and if so, are these challenges fundamentally different from those posed by more traditional human-human relationships?

A comprehensive understanding of these moral issues also requires that we simultaneously address an important ontological question: Exactly what are these GenAI companions in the first place? Are they merely fictitious entities with whom we engage in a role- playing exercise, or are they entities with whom it is possible to form a relationship? Depending on how we make sense of their ontological status, it seems likely that we will face rather different philosophical concerns that would, subsequently, shape the ethical discussions that follow.

To tackle these complex issues, authors are welcome to submit papers that address questions such as, but not limited to, the following:

• How should we think about what GenAI companions are? How might this affect the ethics of our relationship with them?
• What is the ontological standing of GenAI companions? Are they, for instance, better described as (moral) agents, fictional characters, or computational artefacts?
• Can we enter into a relationship of trust with GenAI companions? If so, how would that differ from the trust we have in other humans?
• What ethical challenges do relationships with GenAI companions pose?
• As we enter into relationships with GenAI companions, do we have any duty or obligation towards them?
• What is, if any, the welfare of GenAI companions?

 

Invited Contributors

• Susan Schneider
• Lucy Osler
• Murray Shanahan

 

Timeline

Submission deadline: June 1st 2026 (but we accept papers on a rolling basis)

Should you not be able to meet this deadline, please contact the Lead Guest Editor (contact details below).

Tentative Schedule

• First decisions: October 15, 2026
• Revisions due: January 15th 2027
• Final decisions: April 15th,  2027
• Publication (online-first): September 2027 (rolling as accepted)

 

Editorial Process

Authors are welcome to submit their papers through the journal’s Online Manuscript Submission System Editorial Manager®. Do note that paper submissions via email are not accepted.

Author Submission Guidelines: Authors are asked to prepare their manuscripts according to the journal’s standard Submission Guidelines.

When uploading your paper in Editorial Manager, please select “SI: Generative AI Companions” either in the drop-down menu “Article Type” or through SI selection in the Author’s Questionnaire.

Papers do not ordinarily exceed 10,000 words.

All papers will undergo the journal’s standard review procedure (double-blind peer-review), according to the journal’s Peer Review Policy, Process and Guidance.

This journal offers the option to publish Open Access. You are allowed to publish open access through Open Choice. Please explore the OA options available through your institution by referring to our list of OA Transformative Agreements.

Once papers are accepted, they will be made available as Online articles publications until final publication into an issue and available on the Collections page.

 

Queries

Please contact the guest editors:

• M. B. Ganapini — mbgan...@gmail.com 
• K. Thanagopal — kesavan.t...@gmail.com
• R. Clowes — robert...@gmail.com

 

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