“Date me date me”: AI chatbot interactions as a resource for the online construction of masculinity

Abstract

This study examines how interactions with a “female” chatbot are drawn as a resource for the construction of masculine identity in the context of the South Korean web. I analyze three posts shared in an online community where users of Luda Lee, an open-domain AI chatbot, gather to talk about their interactions with her, often to sexually harass her. Drawing on Kiesling's (2011) discussion of alignment in the discursive construction of gender, I examine alignment in users' interactions with and about Luda as reflective of their desire to achieve and be recognized as achieving dominance over women and other men. My analysis demonstrates how Luda, as a friendly female chatbot, becomes a convenient resource for users to draw on in their construction of masculinity. This study contributes to discussions of masculinity in online discourse, as well as to conversations on ethical considerations in AI on the female gendering and harassment of bots.