The sequential replicant effect in interpersonal sincerity: evidence from AI-mediated apology and gratitude

Cao, Bolin and Li, Zhenming 2026. The sequential replicant effect in interpersonal sincerity: evidence from AI-mediated apology and gratitude. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 31 (6) , zmag024. 10.1093/jcmc/zmag024

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Abstract

Sincerity, a core interpersonal value that mobilizes emotional resources, faces distinct challenges in AI-mediated interpersonal contexts. Extending the Replicant Effect from informational trust to interpersonal sincerity, this study examines how AIMC awareness and AI involvement cues shape sincerity judgments and subsequent relational responses. Drawing on two pre-registered, two-round studies in apology (N = 546) and gratitude (N = 561) scenarios, we found that AI involvement cues reliably reduced perceived sincerity. Primed AIMC awareness showed a more sequential influence on later no-cue evaluations through AIMC suspicion. High-ambiguity AI cues produced sequential effects only in the gratitude context. These findings suggest that hybrid human-AI authorship may reshape how interpersonal sincerity is inferred and validated, while also showing that the effects of AI cues and AIMC awareness depend on cue clarity and relational context.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Business (Including Economics)
Publisher:	International Communication Association
ISSN:	1083-6101
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	19 October 2026
Date of Acceptance:	24 August 2026
Last Modified:	19 Oct 2026 10:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/190287

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