Conversations Across Time: The Persuasiveness of Conversing with AI-Powered Future-Self Simulations in Reducing Sugar-Sweetened Beverages

Mengqi (Maggie) Liao, Kim, H., & Hye-Jin Yoon. “Conversations Across Time: The Persuasiveness of Conversing with AI-Powered Future-Self Simulations in Reducing Sugar-Sweetened Beverages,” paper to be presented at the 76th annual conference of the International Communication Association, June 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa.  Abstract: Excessive sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption remains a major public health concern in the United States. Despite widespread awareness, reducing SSB intake is difficult due to temporal discounting, the tendency to prioritize immediate pleasure over future health. In this paper, we investigate whether allowing users to converse with an AI-powered future-self simulation can enhance persuasion by making health consequences more personally relevant and by reducing the psychological distance between their present and future selves across two experiments (Study 1: N = 135; Study 2: N = 134). Study 1 revealed that conversing with a future-self chatbot significantly enhanced perceived personalization, which in turn increased individuals’ intentions to reduce SSB intake. Study 2 further revealed that interacting with a positive (vs. negative) future self-increased perceived future-self continuity, which strengthened perceived threat and efficacy, predicting greater persuasive outcomes. Together, these findings demonstrate how AI-driven future-self simulations can promote future-oriented, self-directed health behavior change through personalized, identity-based interaction. Theoretical, practical, and methodological implications are discussed.