When Workout Buddies Are Virtual: AI Agents and Human Peers in a Longitudinal Physical Activity Study
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arXiv
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| Autores principales: | , , , , |
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| Formato: | Preprint |
| Publicado: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866911433491480576 |
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| author | Silacci, Alessandro Cherubini, Mauro Boldi, Arianna Rapp, Amon Caon, Maurizio |
| author_facet | Silacci, Alessandro Cherubini, Mauro Boldi, Arianna Rapp, Amon Caon, Maurizio |
| contents | Physical inactivity remains a critical global health issue, yet scalable strategies for sustained motivation are scarce. Conversational agents designed as simulated exercising peers (SEPs) represent a promising alternative, but their long-term impact is unclear. We report a six-month randomized controlled trial (N=280) comparing individuals exercising alone, with a human peer, or with a large language model-driven SEP. Results revealed a partnership paradox: human peers evoked stronger social presence, while AI peers provided steadier encouragement and more reliable working alliances. Humans motivated through authentic comparison and accountability, whereas AI peers fostered consistent, low-stakes support. These complementary strengths suggest that AI agents should not mimic human authenticity but augment it with reliability. Our findings advance human-agent interaction research and point to hybrid designs where human presence and AI consistency jointly sustain physical activity. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_01918 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | When Workout Buddies Are Virtual: AI Agents and Human Peers in a Longitudinal Physical Activity Study Silacci, Alessandro Cherubini, Mauro Boldi, Arianna Rapp, Amon Caon, Maurizio Human-Computer Interaction Physical inactivity remains a critical global health issue, yet scalable strategies for sustained motivation are scarce. Conversational agents designed as simulated exercising peers (SEPs) represent a promising alternative, but their long-term impact is unclear. We report a six-month randomized controlled trial (N=280) comparing individuals exercising alone, with a human peer, or with a large language model-driven SEP. Results revealed a partnership paradox: human peers evoked stronger social presence, while AI peers provided steadier encouragement and more reliable working alliances. Humans motivated through authentic comparison and accountability, whereas AI peers fostered consistent, low-stakes support. These complementary strengths suggest that AI agents should not mimic human authenticity but augment it with reliability. Our findings advance human-agent interaction research and point to hybrid designs where human presence and AI consistency jointly sustain physical activity. |
| title | When Workout Buddies Are Virtual: AI Agents and Human Peers in a Longitudinal Physical Activity Study |
| topic | Human-Computer Interaction |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.01918 |