---
id: "framework-ai-relationship-functions"
type: "framework"
source_timestamps: ["§ How People Relate to Bots"]
tags: ["taxonomy", "social-support"]
related: ["concept-relationship-functions-inventory", "claim-ai-social-support-widespread"]
steps: ["\\\"Career development: Using AI to identify advancement opportunities", "regain career control", "or navigate promotions (used by 64%).\\\"", "\\\"Personal growth: Using AI to develop life skills", "improve writing/analytic skills", "practice patience", "or craft professional communications (used by 54%).\\\"", "\\\"Friendship: Interacting with AI for enjoyment", "treating it as a work friend", "and using it to feel less alone during the workday (used by 50%).\\\"", "\\\"Emotional support: Using AI to cope with stress", "vent about workplace situations", "and seek empathetic validation (used by 35%).\\\""]
sources: ["adoption"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-adoption"
originDay: 9
articleStem: "hbr-sig-53-ai-personal-support-risky"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/05/employees-are-relying-on-ai-for-personal-support-thats-risky"
sourceTitle: "Employees Are Relying on AI for Personal Support. That’s Risky."
---
# Four Relationship Functions of AI at Work

A taxonomy of the four ways employees utilize AI for **non-task, psychosocial support**, adapted from human-to-human relationship models via the [[concept-relationship-functions-inventory]]. Aggregate usage across the four functions is documented in [[claim-ai-social-support-widespread]].

1. **Career development** — using AI to identify advancement opportunities, regain career control, or navigate promotions. *Used by 64%.*
2. **Personal growth** — using AI to develop life skills, improve writing/analytic skills, practice patience, or craft professional communications. *Used by 54%.*
3. **Friendship** — interacting with AI for enjoyment, treating it as a work friend, and using it to feel less alone during the workday. *Used by 50%.*
4. **Emotional support** — using AI to cope with stress, vent about workplace situations, and seek empathetic validation. *Used by 35%.*

**Enrichment context:** The four dimensions map directly onto the nontask support colleagues traditionally provide (Colbert, Bono & Purvanova). Workday's parallel finding — advice (76%), brainstorming (52%), companionship (37%) — independently confirms AI is used as a quasi-social resource across roughly these categories.