Ethics Society
Research warns against relying on an AI 'magic solution' for family disputes after separation
A new study examines how excessive faith in AI and digital applications can distort the picture of difficult interpersonal problems – especially post-separation parenting.
The underlying idea is technological solutionism, where it is believed that sufficiently intelligent technology can solve almost any societal problem. Researchers call this 'magical thinking': expecting an app or algorithm to clarify and manage complex human behavior as if by magic.
The article also refers to the concept of 'enchanted determinism', which describes the belief that technology not only helps solve problems but somehow dictates how people will behave. When such thinking is combined with AI-powered services, they can become tools for attempting to manage communication and everyday arrangements between divorced parents.
The study analyzes the problem frameworks of such post-separation communication apps: how they present interpersonal conflicts and what they assume technology can do. The authors emphasize that separations and related conflicts are so-called wicked problems – situations where there is no single clear cause or solution, but rather a lot of context-dependent, often painful history.
AI-powered services can then narrow the focus: they concentrate on managing visible symptoms, such as communication disputes or meeting schedules, and divert attention away from the root causes of conflicts. According to the researchers, the danger is that trust in a technological 'magic solution' diverts resources and political will away from actions that would address the underlying inequality, violence, or inadequate service systems.
Thus, the study challenges the belief that an AI-based application could single-handedly clean up the aftermath of the most complex crises in people's lives.
Source: A magical solution to a wicked problem? Problem representations and the techno-solutionist framing of post-separation apps, AI & SOCIETY.
The underlying idea is technological solutionism, where it is believed that sufficiently intelligent technology can solve almost any societal problem. Researchers call this 'magical thinking': expecting an app or algorithm to clarify and manage complex human behavior as if by magic.
The article also refers to the concept of 'enchanted determinism', which describes the belief that technology not only helps solve problems but somehow dictates how people will behave. When such thinking is combined with AI-powered services, they can become tools for attempting to manage communication and everyday arrangements between divorced parents.
The study analyzes the problem frameworks of such post-separation communication apps: how they present interpersonal conflicts and what they assume technology can do. The authors emphasize that separations and related conflicts are so-called wicked problems – situations where there is no single clear cause or solution, but rather a lot of context-dependent, often painful history.
AI-powered services can then narrow the focus: they concentrate on managing visible symptoms, such as communication disputes or meeting schedules, and divert attention away from the root causes of conflicts. According to the researchers, the danger is that trust in a technological 'magic solution' diverts resources and political will away from actions that would address the underlying inequality, violence, or inadequate service systems.
Thus, the study challenges the belief that an AI-based application could single-handedly clean up the aftermath of the most complex crises in people's lives.
Source: A magical solution to a wicked problem? Problem representations and the techno-solutionist framing of post-separation apps, AI & SOCIETY.
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Original research: A magical solution to a wicked problem? Problem representations and the techno-solutionist framing of post-separation apps
Publisher: AI & SOCIETY
Authors: Judith Bishop, Laura Tolton, Tonya Stebbins
December 26, 2025
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