Call for Chapters:

Book Title: “AI, Empathy, and the Human Connection: Rethinking Interpersonal Communication Theories in the Digital Age”

Editors: Dr Abdulgaffar Arikewuyo, Prof. Saudat Abdulbaqi & Dr Aishat Salau Abdulrauf

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Deadline for submission of abstracts: May 2, 2025

OVERVIEW

Can artificial intelligence ever truly understand human emotions? Can machines replicate the depth of human connection, or are we merely engaging with sophisticated illusions of empathy? The book AI, Empathy, and the Human Connection: Rethinking Interpersonal Communication Theories in the Digital Age explores these pressing questions through the lens of established and emerging communication theories. As AI-driven conversational agents, emotional recognition technologies, and machine learning algorithms become deeply embedded in our daily interactions, this book critically examines their impact on human relationships. Are we enhancing our ability to connect, or are we eroding the very essence of genuine human interaction? Bridging the gap between traditional interpersonal communication theories and cutting-edge AI advancements, this book offers a compelling analysis of how technology is reshaping social presence, trust, intimacy, and even the nature of empathy itself. Engaging, thought-provoking, and deeply relevant, this book is essential for scholars, professionals, and anyone curious about the future of human connection in an AI-driven world.

CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS

We invite scholars, researchers, and practitioners to contribute original chapters that critically explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, empathy, and interpersonal communication. Submissions should offer fresh theoretical insights or empirically grounded analyses that engage with how AI is reshaping human connection, particularly in contexts of romantic, familial, social, or professional interaction. Contributions may include conceptual essays, case studies, practice-based reflections, interviews, or data-driven research. We particularly welcome work that revisits established interpersonal communication theories in light of emerging AI technologies and their emotional, ethical, and relational implications. While the volume takes a global perspective, we strongly encourage submissions that reflect diverse cultural, regional, and contextual experiences.

Chapter length should be between 5,000 and 8,000 words, inclusive of references. All submissions must adhere to academic standards of originality, rigor, and citation.

THEMES AND TOPICS

Submissions are invited on the themes and topics outlined below, though proposals addressing related subjects are also encouraged. Upon submission of your Chapter, please indicate the section and title as the heading of your submission.

Section 1: AI and Interpersonal Relationships:

1. From Algorithms to Affection: How AI Is Redefining the Concept of Romantic Compatibility
2. Digital Diplomats: Can AI Be a Neutral Third Party in Conflict Resolution?
3. Beyond Distance: AI Companionship and the Emotional Architecture of Long-Distance Relationships
4. Simulated Empathy or Emotional Intelligence? Rethinking Emotional Labor in Human-AI Interactions
5. Chatbots and Confessions: Exploring Vulnerability and Disclosure in AI-Mediated Conversations

Section 2: Empathy, AI, and Social Presence:

1. Synthetic Empathy: The Illusion of Feeling in AI-Generated Conversations
2. Context, Culture, and Code: The Limits of AI in Reading Human Emotions
3. Digitally Present, Emotionally Absent? AI’s Role in Shaping Perceptions of Social Presence
4. Nonverbal Signals in the Machine Age: How AI Interprets and Misinterprets Human Cues
5. Emotional Manipulation by Design: Ethical Dilemmas in Affective Computing

Section 3: AI and Traditional Interpersonal Communication Theories:

1. Social Penetration in the Age of the Algorithm: Does AI Invite Deeper Disclosure?
2. Certainty or Confusion? Applying Uncertainty Reduction Theory to AI Interactions
3. Transactional Intimacy: Rethinking Social Exchange in Human-AI Bonds
4. Relational Dialectics and the Machine: Navigating Tensions in AI-Mediated Connection
5. Redefining the Self Through Code: Identity, Disclosure, and Human-AI Relational Dynamics

Section 4: AI in Romantic and Family Relationships:

1. Algorithmic Attraction: How AI Shapes Desirability and Courtship in the Digital Age
2. The Future of Marriage Counseling: Can AI Intervene in Marital Strain?
3. Virtual Intimacy or Digital Distance? AI’s Influence on Emotional Closeness in Cohabiting Couples
4. The Rise of AI Love Letters: Imitation, Creativity, and the Meaning of Affection
5. Machine Parenting? Exploring the Possibility of AI as a Family Support Agent

Section 5: AI and Communication in Professional and Social Settings:

1. The Digital Middleman: AI as a Mediator in Organizational Communication
2. The New Face of Influence: AI and Impression Management in the Professional Sphere
3. Algorithmic Persuasion: AI’s Role in Shaping Political and Consumer Decision-Making
4. AI in the Customer Service Ecosystem: Between Efficiency and Emotional Resonance
5. Machine Listening in Mental Health Support: Promise or Peril for Emotional Well-being?

Section 6: Ethical and Psychological Dimensions of AI in Interpersonal Communication:

1. Emotional Dependence on Machines: The Psychological Cost of AI Companionship
2. Authenticity in an Era of Automation: Are We Losing the Human Voice in Communication?
3. Stress, Surveillance, and Sentiment: How AI Monitors and Responds to Human Emotion
4. Truth Machines? The Ethics of AI in Deception Detection and Human Judgment
5. Are We Talking to Ourselves? AI, Echo Chambers, and the Decline of Relational Diversity

Section 7: Future Perspectives on AI and Human Communication:

1. Will AI Speak Human? The Prospects of Machine Emotional Intelligence
2. Rewriting the Social Script: How AI Is Shaping the Future of Digital Norms
3. AI and the New Frontiers of Privacy in Interpersonal Communication
4. Cultural Intelligence in Machines: Can AI Navigate Global Communication Ethics?
5. Friends or Tools? The Philosophical Boundaries of Companionship in Human-AI Relations

SUBMISSION PROCESS

Kindly submit an abstract of 200-250 words, along with a brief biography of no more than 150 words, highlighting your background, expertise, and experience. Please ensure that your abstract includes a concise introduction, objectives, methodology, and contributions to both academic knowledge and practical application.

DEADLINES

• Abstract Submission Deadline: Friday, 2nd May 2025
• Notification of Acceptance: Friday, 30th May 2025
• Deadline for submission of first draft: Friday, 28th November 2025
• Full Chapter Submission Deadline: Friday, 27th February 2026

CONTACT INFORMATION

Please send your submissions and any inquiries to
aiempathyandthehumanconnection@gmail.com

You can also send inquiries to
Dr Abdulgaffar Arikewuyo: arikewuyo@gmail.com,
Professor Saudat Salah Abdulbaqi: saubaqi@unilorin.edu.ng,
Or Dr Aishat Abdulrauf-Salau: ajokeaisha@yahoo.com

We warmly welcome your contributions to this timely and thought-provoking volume on AI, Empathy, and the Human Connection: Rethinking Interpersonal Communication Theories in the Digital Age. Join us in critically examining how artificial intelligence is transforming the dynamics of human interaction, emotional expression, and relational communication in our increasingly digital world.