Research shows that using AI chatbots makes lonely people feel even lonelier

OpenAI and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab have announced two collaborative studies on the impact of AI chatbots on people's emotions and behaviors. The studies examine how using chatbots affects feelings of loneliness, social interactions, and the tendency to become addicted to AI.

Investigating Affective Use and Emotional Well-being on ChatGPT
(PDF file) https://cdn.openai.com/papers/15987609-5f71-433c-9972-e91131f399a1/openai-affective-use-study.pdf

How AI and Human Behaviors Shape Psychosocial Effects of Chatbot Use: A Longitudinal Controlled Study — MIT Media Lab
https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/how-ai-and-human-behaviors-shape-psychosocial-effects-of-chatbot-use-a-longitudinal-controlled-study/

The first study analyzed the behavior of about 6,000 heavy users based on about 4 million conversations on the ChatGPT platform. In addition, a survey was conducted on more than 4,000 users to collect data on their subjective experiences.

The second study used a randomized controlled trial approach to follow 981 participants over a 28-day period, measuring changes in users' emotional state across nine conditions that combined the type of chatbot they used with with their daily conversations.

The results showed that while audio conversation may contribute to reducing loneliness and dependency in the early stages, this effect weakened as the duration of use increased, and instead, feelings of loneliness and problematic use tended to increase. This tendency was particularly pronounced when non-emotional audio modes were used.

The researchers also found that the effects of the conversation varied depending on the content. When personal topics were discussed, there was a slight increase in loneliness, but a decrease in the tendency to rely on the AI. On the other hand, there were cases where users who continued to talk about non-personal topics showed a tendency to become dependent on the AI.

In addition, users who responded that they felt like they were friends with ChatGPT were more likely to use nicknames and ask personal questions during conversations. In a small percentage of users, the emotional tone of conversations was also observed to increase over time.

However, many users tend to use it in a task-oriented manner with limited emotional interaction, but there are overall trends among users who use it for longer periods of time, such as decreased social interaction and increased dependency.

The researchers point out that limitations of this study include not taking into account external factors such as seasonal fluctuations and individual living environments, and the subjectivity of self-reported answers. In addition, future research is needed to determine whether the use of AI chatbots is a 'cause' or a 'consequence' of loneliness.

While the research team expresses concern about excessive relationships with AI, they also point out the importance of improving AI literacy and considering ethics at the design stage. They also conclude that addressing loneliness requires not only technology but also human connections in the real world.