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OceanChat: The Effect of Virtual Conversational AI Agents on Sustainable Attitude and Behavior Change

Creative Commons

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Fluid Interfaces Group

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OceanChat: The Effect of Virtual Conversational AI Agents on Sustainable Attitude and Behavior Change

Marine ecosystems face unprecedented threats from climate change and plastic pollution, yet traditional environmental education often struggles to translate awareness into sustained behavioral change. We present OceanChat, an interactive system leveraging large language models to create conversational AI agents represented as animated marine creatures—specifically a beluga whale, a jellyfish, and a seahorse—designed to promote environmental behavior (PEB) and foster awareness through personalized dialogue. 

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Creative Commons

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Through a between-subjects experiment (N=900), we compared three conditions we compared the effects of a conversational character narrative, enabling real-time dialogue with AI-powered marine characters. OceanChat significantly increased behavioral intentions, sustainable choice preferences, and climate change belief compared to static approaches. Emotional factors like empathy and character likeability emerged as key drivers of sustainable intentions, though deeper shifts in climate policy support or psychological distance proved harder to achieve. Qualitative insights from user chats further enriched these findings, showing heartfelt connections to marine life tempered by practical barriers—cost, access, and skepticism about individual impact—underscoring the need for AI interventions to address real-world constraints alongside emotional engagement.

Full Article (Preprint)

OceanChat envisions AI as a symbiotic partner in environmental advocacy, giving voice to marine ecosystems as virtual “Earth ambassadors.” By balancing anthropomorphism with species authenticity, the system offers a scalable, emotionally resonant tool to deepen human-ocean connections. While its immediate effects on sustainable choices and intentions are promising, the limited impact on entrenched beliefs suggests it’s a starting point within a broader strategy. Future iterations could integrate adaptive dialogues, additional species, local context, and long-term tracking to amplify its influence, ensuring AI-driven sustainability tools not only inspire but also empower lasting change—all while keeping their environmental footprint minimal.