Reframing the performance and ethics of “empathic” AI: Wisdom of the crowd and placebos

Recently, claims have emerged that artificial intelligence (AI) is better at providing empathy than humans. These claims come paired with suggestions that people should use empathic AI to supplement human empathy. This paper critically examines these positions by drawing analogies to two well-established psychological effects. First, I argue that the apparent superiority of AI-generated empathy reflects an analog of the “wisdom of the crowd” effect. This reframes the alleged superiority of empathic AI in a more mundane and less dehumanizing way. Second, I consider whether people should use AI for empathy. Here I draw an analogy to placebo effects, suggesting that even clear utilitarian benefits may not justify the adoption of empathic AI.