Welcome

Dr. Naomi Aguiar is an expert in how children and adults think about and form relationships with AI chatbots, and how these relationships can impact real world learning and behavior. She also has expertise in the imaginary relationships children and adults create for themselves- either totally on their own, or with help from media. Naomi holds a doctorate in Psychology from the University of Oregon and currently serves as the Associate Director of Research at Oregon State University Ecampus.

Naomi has published research on a broad range of topics in Psychology and Education, including child and adult perceptions of AI characters, children's relationships with imaginary friends and media characters, and college students' perceptions of generative AI tools. Her work has been published in high impact peer-reviewed journals including Child Development, Social Development, and the Online Learning Journal. Her most recent publication, Imaginary Friends and the People Who Create Them, is a book co-authored with Dr. Marjorie Taylor and published by Oxford University Press.

AI companions: Naomi's story

Once, when I was interviewing a 10-year-old child about his imaginary friend, he paused midway through a description of a "sarbarian tiger" and asked me:

"does an imaginary friend count on like a video game where they talk to me and like to hang out?"

I didn't know how to answer him- and I was struck by that. Shouldn't the answer be, "yes, of course"? And shouldn't we both know that? It turned out that the child was talking about a kid on the other side of the world whom he had befriended in a video game, where they "hung out" and interacted using their avatars. What he was talking about is a great example of how we communicate and interact with each other now in ways that blur the boundaries between what is "real" and what is "imaginary." His question stayed with me, and now years later, after conducting my own research on the topic, I finally have a response...

When it comes to digital companions, whether or not it is "real" simply doesn't matter.

And of course, this has huge implications for how we think about, interact with, and form relationships with AI companions.

Want to know more?

First, check out my research. Then, let's connect!

Reach out to chat with me about all things related to imagination, AI companions, and relationships in the digital age.

naomi.aguiar@oregonstate.edu