WITHDRAWN - Does Embodiment Increase Perceived Consciousness? Testing How Avatar-Based AI Agents Influence Human Social Responses

This study investigates whether embodied AI, including expressive avatar agents, heightens perceived self-consciousness and changes human social behavior. Compared with text and voice AI, avatars evoked stronger mind attribution, trust, social presence, and emotional disclosure. These findings reveal that embodiment powerfully reshapes human–AI boundaries and carries psychological and ethical implications.