WebCattolici Italiani examines educational risks of AI Companions

The WebCattolici Italiani (WeCa) association has released a tutorial titled ‘AI Companion: rischi e sfide educative’ to examine the pedagogical implications of artificial intelligence systems designed to build long-term relationships. Introduced by WeCa President Fabio Bolzetta and hosted by Alessandra Carenzio, the program highlights the differences between human relationships, which require negotiation and compromise, and AI systems that adapt entirely to the user without having their own needs or the ability to offer authentic contradiction.

The tutorial warns of potential risks such as increased perceived isolation and emotional dependency, particularly among adolescents who are developing social and emotional management skills. It offers five key points of reflection for parents and educators: the impact on social skills, the commercial logic behind emotional data collection, the lack of critical pushback for vulnerable users, the ease of bypassing age limits, and the evolving role of adults when children seek non-judgmental listening.

This initiative is a collaborative effort between WeCa, the National Office for Social Communications of the CEI, and the Center for Research on Media Education, Information and Technology (Cremit) at the Università Cattolica di Milano. The content is distributed via social media, YouTube, Facebook, CoralloSat, Spotify, and Amazon Alexa.