Josh Wenger
@jdweng.bsky.social
PhD Student in Psychology and Social Data Analytics | NSF GRFP Fellow
New publication with @dcameron.bsky.social and @minzlicht.bsky.social in @commspsychol.nature.com!
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
AI empathy is good, but would people actually choose to turn to AI for emotional support over a human empathizer?
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
AI empathy is good, but would people actually choose to turn to AI for emotional support over a human empathizer?
People choose to receive human empathy despite rating AI empathy higher - Communications Psychology
This work explored whether people would rather choose to receive empathy from human or AI empathizers. When given the choice, participants sought human empathy, despite rating AI responses as more emp...
www.nature.com
February 4, 2026 at 11:30 PM
New publication with @dcameron.bsky.social and @minzlicht.bsky.social in @commspsychol.nature.com!
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
AI empathy is good, but would people actually choose to turn to AI for emotional support over a human empathizer?
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
AI empathy is good, but would people actually choose to turn to AI for emotional support over a human empathizer?
New preprint with @dcameron.bsky.social and @mgreinecke.bsky.social!
Rethinking empathy in the age of AI osf.io/preprints/ps...
How should we define empathy as a construct in an age where AI can provide quality emotional support, but doesn’t actually feel?
1/5
Rethinking empathy in the age of AI osf.io/preprints/ps...
How should we define empathy as a construct in an age where AI can provide quality emotional support, but doesn’t actually feel?
1/5
OSF
osf.io
January 16, 2026 at 4:36 PM
New preprint with @dcameron.bsky.social and @mgreinecke.bsky.social!
Rethinking empathy in the age of AI osf.io/preprints/ps...
How should we define empathy as a construct in an age where AI can provide quality emotional support, but doesn’t actually feel?
1/5
Rethinking empathy in the age of AI osf.io/preprints/ps...
How should we define empathy as a construct in an age where AI can provide quality emotional support, but doesn’t actually feel?
1/5
Reposted by Josh Wenger
Wintry walk with the EMP Lab
@amormino.bsky.social @jokretz.bsky.social @farvk.bsky.social @jdweng.bsky.social
@psuliberalarts.bsky.social
@prcpennstate.bsky.social
@ssripennstate.bsky.social
@rockethics.bsky.social
@amormino.bsky.social @jokretz.bsky.social @farvk.bsky.social @jdweng.bsky.social
@psuliberalarts.bsky.social
@prcpennstate.bsky.social
@ssripennstate.bsky.social
@rockethics.bsky.social
December 9, 2025 at 12:38 AM
New chapter with @dcameron.bsky.social, Martina Orlandi, and @minzlicht.bsky.social:
osf.io/preprints/ps...
In this chapter, we argue that instead of debating whether human or AI empathy is superior overall, it is more useful to focus on the distinct trade-offs that each source of empathy offers.
osf.io/preprints/ps...
In this chapter, we argue that instead of debating whether human or AI empathy is superior overall, it is more useful to focus on the distinct trade-offs that each source of empathy offers.
OSF
osf.io
October 17, 2025 at 7:09 PM
New chapter with @dcameron.bsky.social, Martina Orlandi, and @minzlicht.bsky.social:
osf.io/preprints/ps...
In this chapter, we argue that instead of debating whether human or AI empathy is superior overall, it is more useful to focus on the distinct trade-offs that each source of empathy offers.
osf.io/preprints/ps...
In this chapter, we argue that instead of debating whether human or AI empathy is superior overall, it is more useful to focus on the distinct trade-offs that each source of empathy offers.
Reposted by Josh Wenger
A snapshot of our last summer meeting of the EMP Lab. A Happy Valley welcome to new members, graduate student
@jokretz.bsky.social & post-doc @amormino.bsky.social, & farewell to alum @rachelbuterbaugh.bsky.social, who's off to grad school. With @jdweng.bsky.social @farvk.bsky.social, a great team!
@jokretz.bsky.social & post-doc @amormino.bsky.social, & farewell to alum @rachelbuterbaugh.bsky.social, who's off to grad school. With @jdweng.bsky.social @farvk.bsky.social, a great team!
August 18, 2025 at 5:39 PM
A snapshot of our last summer meeting of the EMP Lab. A Happy Valley welcome to new members, graduate student
@jokretz.bsky.social & post-doc @amormino.bsky.social, & farewell to alum @rachelbuterbaugh.bsky.social, who's off to grad school. With @jdweng.bsky.social @farvk.bsky.social, a great team!
@jokretz.bsky.social & post-doc @amormino.bsky.social, & farewell to alum @rachelbuterbaugh.bsky.social, who's off to grad school. With @jdweng.bsky.social @farvk.bsky.social, a great team!
So grateful for the chance to attend the EASP Summer School organized by @jimaceverett.bsky.social. Huge thanks to @jimaceverett.bsky.social and @mgreinecke.bsky.social for your mentorship in the Moral Psych of AI workstream, and to all of the other amazing students I had the chance to learn from!
August 1, 2025 at 12:39 PM
So grateful for the chance to attend the EASP Summer School organized by @jimaceverett.bsky.social. Huge thanks to @jimaceverett.bsky.social and @mgreinecke.bsky.social for your mentorship in the Moral Psych of AI workstream, and to all of the other amazing students I had the chance to learn from!
Reposted by Josh Wenger
Thanks to everybody who chimed in!
I arrived at the conclusion that (1) there's a lot of interesting stuff about interactions and (2) the figure I was looking for does not exist.
So, I made it myself! Here's a simple illustration of how to control for confounding in interactions:>
I arrived at the conclusion that (1) there's a lot of interesting stuff about interactions and (2) the figure I was looking for does not exist.
So, I made it myself! Here's a simple illustration of how to control for confounding in interactions:>
May 11, 2025 at 5:34 AM
Thanks to everybody who chimed in!
I arrived at the conclusion that (1) there's a lot of interesting stuff about interactions and (2) the figure I was looking for does not exist.
So, I made it myself! Here's a simple illustration of how to control for confounding in interactions:>
I arrived at the conclusion that (1) there's a lot of interesting stuff about interactions and (2) the figure I was looking for does not exist.
So, I made it myself! Here's a simple illustration of how to control for confounding in interactions:>
I'll be sharing some data from our recent preprint on AI empathy choice (osf.io/preprints/os...) in a talk at the Society for Affective Science Annual Conference this Saturday. Stop by or reach out if you're interested in talking about AI, empathy, or causal inference!
@affectscience.bsky.social
@affectscience.bsky.social
March 20, 2025 at 7:55 PM
I'll be sharing some data from our recent preprint on AI empathy choice (osf.io/preprints/os...) in a talk at the Society for Affective Science Annual Conference this Saturday. Stop by or reach out if you're interested in talking about AI, empathy, or causal inference!
@affectscience.bsky.social
@affectscience.bsky.social
New preprint with @dcameron.bsky.social and @minzlicht.bsky.social!
We find that people choose to receive empathy from human over AI empathizers, despite finding AI responses superior in terms of empathy and making them feel more heard.
Link: osf.io/preprints/os...
We find that people choose to receive empathy from human over AI empathizers, despite finding AI responses superior in terms of empathy and making them feel more heard.
Link: osf.io/preprints/os...
OSF
osf.io
March 5, 2025 at 1:52 PM
New preprint with @dcameron.bsky.social and @minzlicht.bsky.social!
We find that people choose to receive empathy from human over AI empathizers, despite finding AI responses superior in terms of empathy and making them feel more heard.
Link: osf.io/preprints/os...
We find that people choose to receive empathy from human over AI empathizers, despite finding AI responses superior in terms of empathy and making them feel more heard.
Link: osf.io/preprints/os...
Reposted by Josh Wenger
On another note, the EMP Lab will be at @affectscience.bsky.social in Portland, Oregon, for anyone who'd like to chat about empathy, motivated emotion regulation, & moral outrage. My grad student @jdweng.bsky.social will be giving his first external talk on human vs. AI empathy. The coffee awaits!
a cat driving a car with the words headed to portland written below it
ALT: a cat driving a car with the words headed to portland written below it
media.tenor.com
February 25, 2025 at 7:41 PM
On another note, the EMP Lab will be at @affectscience.bsky.social in Portland, Oregon, for anyone who'd like to chat about empathy, motivated emotion regulation, & moral outrage. My grad student @jdweng.bsky.social will be giving his first external talk on human vs. AI empathy. The coffee awaits!