Call for Papers:

Generative AI Companions: What They Are and Why That Matters
A special issue of the journal Philosophical Studies
https://link.springer.com/collections/iiaagcacje

Deadline for submissions: June 1, 2026

The special issue aims to explore the ontological status of Generative AI companions and the moral upshot of entering into a relationship with these entities.

Guest Editors:

• Marianna B. Ganapini — mbergam1@charlotte.edu
• Kesavan Thanagopal — kesavan.thanagopal@gmail.com
• Robert Clowes — robert.clowes@gmail.com

DESCRIPTION

The pervasiveness of Generative AI (GenAI) companion apps and the ease with which one can use them to create companion chatbots to interact with, have raised some concerns among the general public. While some recent works in philosophy of technology and AI have focused specifically on Generative AI and attempted to address concerns about its effects in society, little work has been done to clarify the philosophical concerns that GenAI companions, in particular, raise. The philosophical challenges presented by Generative AI companions differ from those raised by GenAI in general in that, in many situations, users of Generative AI companion apps tend to develop what they feel are deep (inter)personal relationships with the chatbots they create. This “affective” component presents unique complexities often overlooked in a general philosophical study of Generative AI (to the extent that this has been done thus far).

This special issue aims to look at those complexities. At the heart of our inquiry is the following question: Do relationships with GenAI companions pose significant ethical challenges, and if so, are these challenges fundamentally different from those posed by more traditional human-human relationships?

A comprehensive understanding of these moral issues also requires that we simultaneously address an important ontological question: Exactly what are these generative AI companions in the first place? Are GenAI companions merely fictitious entities with whom we engage in a role- playing exercise, or are they entities with whom it is possible to form a relationship? Depending on how we make sense of their ontological status, it seems likely that we will face rather different philosophical concerns that would, subsequently, shape the ethical discussions to follow.

Possible topics include (but are not limited to):

To tackle these complex issues, authors are welcome to submit papers that address questions such as, but not limited to, the following:

• How should we think about what generative AI companions are? How might this affect the ethics of our relationship with them?
• What is the ontological standing of generative AI companions? Are they, for instance, better described as (moral) agents, fictional characters, or computational artifacts?
• Can we enter into a relationship of trust with generative AI companions? If so, how would that differ from the trust we have in other humans?
• What ethical challenges do relationships with generative AI companions pose?
• As we enter into relationships with generative AI companions, do we have any duty or obligation towards them?
• What is, if any, the welfare of generative AI companions?

Invited Contributors:

• Susan Schneider — https://schneiderwebsite.com/
• Lucy Osler — https://www.lucyosler.com/
• Murray Shanahan — https://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~mpsha/

Please submit your paper by June 1st, 2026 (we accept papers on a rolling basis).

Should you not be able to meet this deadline, please contact the Lead Guest Editor (contact details below).

Online Submission: Please use the journal’s online submissions system. Paper submissions via email are not accepted.

Author Submission’s Guidelines: Authors are asked to prepare their manuscripts according to the journal’s standard submission guidelines.

EDITORIAL DETAILS:

• When uploading your paper in Editorial Manager, please select “SI: Generative AI Companions” either in the drop-down menu “Article Type” or through SI selection in the Author’s Questionnaire
• Note that paper submissions via email are not accepted.
• Papers should not exceed a maximum of 10.000 words.
• All papers will undergo the journal’s standard review procedure (double-blind peer-review), according to the journal’s Peer Review Policy, Process and Guidance.
• This journal offers the option to publish Open Access. You are allowed to publish open access through Open Choice. Please explore the OA options available through your institution by referring to our list of OA Transformative Agreements.
• Once papers are accepted, they will be made available as Online articles publications until final publication into an issue and available on the Collections page.

Tentative Schedule:

• First decisions: October 15, 2026
• Revisions due: January 15, 2027
• Final decisions: April 15, 2027
• Publication (online-first): September 2027 (rolling as accepted)

CONTACT:

For any questions, please directly contact the Guest Editors.