Research explores whether habitual rudeness toward AI chatbots—a common behavior driven by automatic social reflexes—might spillover and change how people interact with humans. A 2003 study identified the 'media equation' showing people apply social responses to computers automatically, yet interactions with chatbots often involve stripped courtesy and verbal aggression, potentially forming habits through repetition in low-friction contexts.
Research explores how people's habitual rudeness toward chatbots may shape broader social behavior. A study found that interactions with AI agents can spill over into how people treat humans, raising questions about whether normalized discourtesy toward bots affects offline social habits.