Excessive use of ChatGPT linked to increased loneliness, study finds

A new study has found that individuals who frequently engage with the AI chatbot ChatGPT may experience heightened feelings of loneliness.

Conducted by OpenAI and MIT Media Lab, the research explored how users interact with ChatGPT more than two years after its launch, a period during which the chatbot has amassed over 400 million weekly users worldwide.

Although ChatGPT was not designed as an AI companion, some users develop emotional attachments to it, prompting researchers to investigate its impact on social well-being.

The study was conducted in two phases: first, researchers analyzed millions of chat and audio interactions while surveying over 4,000 users about their engagement with ChatGPT. In the second phase, MIT Media Lab conducted a four-week experiment with 1,000 participants, instructing them to interact with ChatGPT for at least five minutes daily.

Findings revealed that while loneliness can stem from various factors, those who placed significant trust in ChatGPT or formed emotional connections with it exhibited greater signs of social isolation.

The study concluded, “Frequent daily use, regardless of conversation type, was linked to increased loneliness, dependence, and reduced social interaction.”