Attachment to Artificial Intelligence: Development of the AI Attachment Scale, Construct Validation, and the Psychological Mechanisms of Human–AI Attachment

This research developed the AI Attachment Scale across five studies in Singapore and the US (N=1259). The scale showed a reliable three-factor structure, strong convergent and discriminant validity, and high test–retest reliability. Higher AI attachment was linked to social anxiety, loneliness, anxious attachment, needs for closure, relatedness, and positive wellbeing.