[Commlist] Call for Chapters Book Title: "AI, Empathy, and the Human Connection: Rethinking Interpersonal Communication Theories in the Digital Age"

*Call for Chapters***


      Book Title: "AI, Empathy, and the Human Connection: Rethinking
      Interpersonal Communication Theories in the Digital Age"**

*Editors*: Dr Abdulgaffar Arikewuyo, Prof. Saudat Abdulbaqi & Dr Aishat 
Salau Abdulrauf

*Publisher:*Palgrave Macmillan

*Overview*

Can artificial intelligence ever truly understand human emotions? Can 
machines replicate the depth of human connection, or are we merely 
engaging with sophisticated illusions of empathy? The book *AI, Empathy, 
and the Human Connection: Rethinking Interpersonal Communication 
Theories in the Digital Age* explores these pressing questions through 
the lens of established and emerging communication theories. As 
AI-driven conversational agents, emotional recognition technologies, and 
machine learning algorithms become deeply embedded in our daily 
interactions, this book critically examines their impact on human 
relationships. Are we enhancing our ability to connect, or are we 
eroding the very essence of genuine human interaction? Bridging the gap 
between traditional interpersonal communication theories and 
cutting-edge AI advancements, this book offers a compelling analysis of 
how technology is reshaping social presence, trust, intimacy, and even 
the nature of empathy itself. Engaging, thought-provoking, and deeply 
relevant, this book is essential for scholars, professionals, and anyone 
curious about the future of human connection in an AI-driven world.

*Call for Contributions***

We invite scholars, researchers, and practitioners to contribute 
original chapters that critically explore the intersection of artificial 
intelligence, empathy, and interpersonal communication. Submissions 
should offer fresh theoretical insights or empirically grounded analyses 
that engage with how AI is reshaping human connection, particularly in 
contexts of romantic, familial, social, or professional interaction. 
Contributions may include conceptual essays, case studies, 
practice-based reflections, interviews, or data-driven research. We 
particularly welcome work that revisits established interpersonal 
communication theories in light of emerging AI technologies and their 
emotional, ethical, and relational implications. While the volume takes 
a global perspective, we strongly encourage submissions that reflect 
diverse cultural, regional, and contextual experiences.

Chapter length should be between *5,000 and 8,000 words*, inclusive of 
references. All submissions must adhere to academic standards of 
originality, rigor, and citation.

*Themes and Topics***

Submissions are invited on the themes and topics outlined below, though 
proposals addressing related subjects are also encouraged. Upon 
submission of your Chapter, please indicate the section and title as the 
heading of your submission **

*Section 1: AI and Interpersonal Relationships*

 1. From Algorithms to Affection: How AI Is Redefining the Concept of
    Romantic Compatibility
 2. Digital Diplomats: Can AI Be a Neutral Third Party in Conflict
    Resolution?
 3. Beyond Distance: AI Companionship and the Emotional Architecture of
    Long-Distance Relationships
 4. Simulated Empathy or Emotional Intelligence? Rethinking Emotional
    Labor in Human-AI Interactions
 5. Chatbots and Confessions: Exploring Vulnerability and Disclosure in
    AI-Mediated Conversations

*Section 2: Empathy, AI, and Social Presence*

 1. Synthetic Empathy: The Illusion of Feeling in AI-Generated 
Conversations
 2. Context, Culture, and Code: The Limits of AI in Reading Human Emotions
 3. Digitally Present, Emotionally Absent? AI’s Role in Shaping
    Perceptions of Social Presence
 4. Nonverbal Signals in the Machine Age: How AI Interprets and
    Misinterprets Human Cues
 5. Emotional Manipulation by Design: Ethical Dilemmas in Affective
    Computing

*Section 3: AI and Traditional Interpersonal Communication Theories*

 1. Social Penetration in the Age of the Algorithm: Does AI Invite
    Deeper Disclosure?
 2. Certainty or Confusion? Applying Uncertainty Reduction Theory to AI
    Interactions
 3. Transactional Intimacy: Rethinking Social Exchange in Human-AI Bonds
 4. Relational Dialectics and the Machine: Navigating Tensions in
    AI-Mediated Connection
 5. Redefining the Self Through Code: Identity, Disclosure, and Human-AI
    Relational Dynamics

*Section 4: AI in Romantic and Family Relationships*

 1. Algorithmic Attraction: How AI Shapes Desirability and Courtship in
    the Digital Age
 2. The Future of Marriage Counseling: Can AI Intervene in Marital Strain?
 3. Virtual Intimacy or Digital Distance? AI’s Influence on Emotional
    Closeness in Cohabiting Couples
 4. The Rise of AI Love Letters: Imitation, Creativity, and the Meaning
    of Affection
 5. Machine Parenting? Exploring the Possibility of AI as a Family
    Support Agent

*Section 5: AI and Communication in Professional and Social Settings*

 1. The Digital Middleman: AI as a Mediator in Organizational Communication
 2. The New Face of Influence: AI and Impression Management in the
    Professional Sphere
 3. Algorithmic Persuasion: AI’s Role in Shaping Political and Consumer
    Decision-Making
 4. AI in the Customer Service Ecosystem: Between Efficiency and
    Emotional Resonance
 5. Machine Listening in Mental Health Support: Promise or Peril for
    Emotional Well-being?

*Section 6: Ethical and Psychological Dimensions of AI in Interpersonal 
Communication*

 1. Emotional Dependence on Machines: The Psychological Cost of AI
    Companionship
 2. Authenticity in an Era of Automation: Are We Losing the Human Voice
    in Communication?
 3. Stress, Surveillance, and Sentiment: How AI Monitors and Responds to
    Human Emotion
 4. Truth Machines? The Ethics of AI in Deception Detection and Human
    Judgment
 5. Are We Talking to Ourselves? AI, Echo Chambers, and the Decline of
    Relational Diversity

*Section 7: Future Perspectives on AI and Human Communication*

 1. Will AI Speak Human? The Prospects of Machine Emotional Intelligence
 2. Rewriting the Social Script: How AI Is Shaping the Future of Digital
    Norms
 3. AI and the New Frontiers of Privacy in Interpersonal Communication
 4. Cultural Intelligence in Machines: Can AI Navigate Global
    Communication Ethics?
 5. Friends or Tools? The Philosophical Boundaries of Companionship in
    Human-AI Relations

*Submission Process*

Kindly submit an abstract of 200-250 words, along with a brief biography 
of *no more than* *150* words, highlighting your background, expertise, 
and experience. Please ensure that your abstract includes a concise 
introduction, objectives, methodology, and contributions to both 
academic knowledge and practical application.

*Deadlines***

  * *Abstract Submission Deadline*:  Friday, 2nd May 2025
  * *Notification of Acceptance*:  Friday, 30th May 2025
  * *Deadline for submission of first draft:*  Friday, 28th November 2025**
  * *Full Chapter Submission Deadline*:  Friday, 27th February 2026**

*Contact Information***

Please send your submissions and any inquiries to 
(aiempathyandthehumanconnection /at/ gmail.com)

You can also send inquiries to Dr Abdulgaffar Arikewuyo: 
(arikewuyo /at/ gmail.com) <mailto:(arikewuyo /at/ gmail.com)>, Professor Saudat Salah 
Abdulbaqi: (saubaqi /at/ unilorin.edu.ng) <mailto:(saubaqi /at/ unilorin.edu.ng)> or 
Dr Aishat Abdulrauf-Salau: (ajokeaisha /at/ yahoo.com)

*
*
*We warmly welcome your contributions to this timely and 
thought-provoking volume on /AI, Empathy, and the Human Connection: 
Rethinking Interpersonal Communication Theories in the Digital Age/. 
Join us in critically examining how artificial intelligence is 
transforming the dynamics of human interaction, emotional expression, 
and relational communication in our increasingly digital world.*



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