What might we learn about autobiographical narrative processing from Artificial Intelligence

Bibliographic Data

ID17832161
AuthorsCade D Mansfield (0000-0001-5213-384X, Franklin & Marshall College, corresponding author), Johannes J Bauer (0000-0003-2912-7980, University of Dayton), Jordan Booker (University of Missouri), Azriel Grysman (0000-0002-4138-8932, Dickinson College), Jefferson A Singer (0000-0002-7882-3715, Connecticut College), Robyn Fivush (0000-0003-3526-1588, Emory University)
Year2026
Volume13
Issue1
Publication date2026-02-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHumanities and Social Sciences Communications (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2662-9992 • E-ISSN: 2662-9992
PublisherPalgrave Macmillan (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1057/s41599-025-06426-y
OpenAlexW7127621809
LanguageEN
References cited58

Human beings are innately storytellers. Large Language Model AI algorithms (LLMs) like ChatGPT are not. But what ChatGPT produces, when instructed to generate or interpret a narrative, is powerful and can provide insight into human narrative processing, because it is trained to produce narratives from human sources. Our paper explores these ideas. In the first section we review key concepts from narrative identity theory and research, including a recent study from our multi-institution collaboration exploring similarities and differences in human and AI narrative processing. The current study extends this work by exploring people’s perceptions of ChatGPT interpretations of human personal narratives. Across these studies we find that people are adept at differentiating between human and ChatGPT-generated self-defining memory narratives and this may be because ChatGPT relies on redemptive tone and structure, a culturally dominant master narrative, in ways that seemed inauthentic and uncanny to human participants. Discussion focuses on key questions this work raises for research on narrative meaning-making, authenticity through narrative identity, and therapeutic uses of AI

Narrative · Narrative identity · Narrative inquiry · Narrative network · Uncanny · Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education · Mental Health via Writing · Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism

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