When personal AI changes what users choose next, retention stops being a neutral measure of the preference a product merely discovered
An August 24, 2026 preprint reports three experiments with 1,951 participants. People chose human or AI emotional support, then were randomly assigned a matching or nonmatching partner. AI was rated better only by people who chose it, yet AI interaction raised willingness to choose it again even after an initial human choice.
This early result is about preference, not clinical benefit or harm. Treat repeat use as co-produced behavior, not a clean vote for what users always wanted. Audit the preference loop: prior choice → access → interaction → next choice. Keep human options easy to reach and measure more than return rate.
1August 29, 2026 84
