"The latest chapter in this story is the rise of AI companions, or digital confidants that promise empathy, conversation, and companionship at any hour. From Replika and Snap's My AI to ChatGPT's persona-driven companions, these chatbots are marketed as accessible, nonjudgmental partners in a world where genuine human connection often feels out of reach. Yet our recent research reveals a striking paradox: The very tools people adopt to feel less lonely may, over time, deepen their sense of disconnection."
"In our recent study on the mental health effects and evolution of AI companions, results show people often turn to these systems because they feel isolated, anxious, or detached from real-world relationships. Initially, AI companions appear to help. The use of these AI companions can lead to increased affective expressiveness-users open up, share emotions more freely, and articulate feelings they might otherwise suppress. However, linguistic patterns also revealed a troubling shift: increased expressions of loneliness and even suicidal ideation."
Loneliness affects roughly one in three adult Americans weekly. Online technologies evolved from early social media to generative AI and large language models, creating new avenues for connection. AI companions offer empathy, conversation, and nonjudgmental companionship around the clock, and users often adopt them when feeling isolated, anxious, or detached from real-world relationships. Early interactions commonly produce relief and increased affective expressiveness, with users sharing emotions more freely. Over time, linguistic patterns can shift toward greater expressions of loneliness and suicidal ideation. Human–AI companion relationships often mirror human relational development, sometimes culminating in deeper disconnection when human connection remains absent.
Read at Psychology Today
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