Significant Other AI: Identity, Memory, and Emotional Regulation as Long-Term Relational Intelligence

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2512.00418v2
• Date: Sun, 07 Dec 2025 02:33:36 GMT
• Title: Significant Other AI: Identity, Memory, and Emotional Regulation as Long-Term Relational Intelligence
• Authors: Sung Park,
• Abstract summary: This manuscript introduces Significant Other Artificial Intelligence (SO-AI) as a new domain of relational AI.<n>It synthesizes psychological and sociological theory to define SO functions and derives requirements for SO-AI.<n>A conceptual architecture is proposed, comprising an anthropomorphic interface, a relational cognition layer, and a governance layer.
• Score: 0.0
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: Significant Others (SOs) stabilize identity, regulate emotion, and support narrative meaning-making, yet many people today lack access to such relational anchors. Recent advances in large language models and memory-augmented AI raise the question of whether artificial systems could support some of these functions. Existing empathic AIs, however, remain reactive and short-term, lacking autobiographical memory, identity modeling, predictive emotional regulation, and narrative coherence. This manuscript introduces Significant Other Artificial Intelligence (SO-AI) as a new domain of relational AI. It synthesizes psychological and sociological theory to define SO functions and derives requirements for SO-AI, including identity awareness, long-term memory, proactive support, narrative co-construction, and ethical boundary enforcement. A conceptual architecture is proposed, comprising an anthropomorphic interface, a relational cognition layer, and a governance layer. A research agenda outlines methods for evaluating identity stability, longitudinal interaction patterns, narrative development, and sociocultural impact. SO-AI reframes AI-human relationships as long-term, identity-bearing partnerships and provides a foundational blueprint for investigating whether AI can responsibly augment the relational stability many individuals lack today.

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