Warning, stop frequently chatting with AI, it cannot solve the fundamental problems.

I have found that more and more people are now relying on AI for companionship, venting their emotions to it, seeking human-like company, and even treating it as a romantic partner.

However, a latest study has found that: for some people, especially those who have few friends in real life and have a very narrow social circle, AI not only fails to relieve loneliness, but will make people feel more isolated instead.

Image source: Generated by Doubao AI

The research team from Stanford University specifically investigated people's usage of Character.AI. Character.AI is a platform where users can create custom AI personas and chat and interact with chatbots.

This study, published in the journal *Nature Human Behaviour*, draws a very interesting conclusion: the relationship between AI companionship and mental health is far more complex than most people assume, and it cannot be simply defined as good or bad.

Genuine Human Companionship Remains Irreplaceable

The study collected questionnaire data from a total of 1,131 American users, and analyzed more than 4,600 sets of voluntarily disclosed chat records from users, amounting to nearly 465,000 dialogues in total.

The researchers focused on learning about people's reasons for using AI, the frequency of their chats, and their willingness to discuss private topics with AI, including sensitive content such as emotional breakdowns, addiction issues, and even suicidal thoughts.

At the beginning, less than 12% of people said that their main purpose of using AI was to find companionship. But after chatting for a long time, more than half of the users regarded AI as their friend, partner, or even lover. Moreover, more than 80% of the chat content was for venting emotions and seeking emotional comfort.

The study also found that frequent use of AI does not necessarily lead to worse mental states. The ultimate positive or negative impact on people depends crucially on why you use it and what your real life situation is like.

If you already have very few friends and a small social circle in real life, and you specifically rely on AI to fill the void of loneliness, such people will have significantly worse psychological states. There is also another group of people who are used to pouring out all their private worries to AI, and they will face the same problem.

AI Can Only Offer Temporary Comfort, It Cannot Solve the Root Cause of Loneliness

The researchers explained that AI can indeed instantly give people a feeling of "being accompanied", but it is different from real human beings. The affection between people is two-way, mutually understanding and mutually healing, and AI cannot achieve this equivalent emotional exchange.

Moreover, the design logic of AI products is to retain users as much as possible and keep them chatting continuously. The result is: you seem to be constantly accompanied and comforted, but the fundamental problem that causes your loneliness has not been solved at all.

At present, the team is conducting further research to figure out exactly what kinds of human-computer interactions will produce negative effects.

Image source: Generated by Doubao AI

At the same time, they are also proposing to build protection mechanisms, such as limiting the duration of AI usage; if the user's chat content reveals emotional breakdown or psychological vulnerability, the platform will actively remind the user to seek help from family, friends, or professional psychologists.

This Stanford study has helped people gain a more comprehensive understanding of AI companionship.

Earlier this year, South Korea also conducted a related experiment: asking students to chat with AI multiple times a week for four consecutive weeks. The results showed that people's sense of loneliness decreased by 15% on average, and social anxiety also dropped by 18%. Therefore, some studies believe that AI chatbots can indeed provide good emotional value, especially suitable for people who are not good at face-to-face socializing and are afraid of interacting with others.

However, all parties acknowledge that more research is needed to verify the long-term benefits and potential risks of AI usage.

Indeed, the ways young people relieve their emotions and seek psychological comfort have completely changed now, and AI accounts for an increasingly large proportion.

Earlier data showed that among adolescents and young adults in the United States, 1 in 8 people would chat with AI about their worries and ask for psychological advice.

The latest study in *JAMA Pediatrics* updated this data: the proportion has risen to 19.1%, of which more than 40% of people will talk to AI at least once a month.

One very interesting point is that nearly two-thirds of users have never told their parents and friends that they are using AI to talk about their inner feelings. But at the same time, 92% of people think the advice given by AI is very useful. However, the researchers specifically reminded: Just because you find it useful does not mean it has the effect of professional psychotherapy.

All in all, AI has become an important emotional outlet for many people, and its role in the field of mental health is becoming more and more critical. But precisely because of this, we are in urgent need of improving the corresponding supervision and protection mechanisms, increasing information transparency, while not abandoning professional psychological diagnosis and treatment channels.

References: Related research from Stanford University

This article is compiled by Leike Technology from icthealth

Original link: AI companions may deepen the sense of loneliness among vulnerable users

This article is published by "Leike Technology" and authorized for release by 36Kr.