Interacting with a chatbot helps some of us feel better, but may also induce loneliness.

Users who viewed their chatbot as a “friend” with extensive daily use were more prone to negative outcomes.

As AI combines with humanoid robots, we are evolving new forms of para-social communication

Some users may be “falling in love” with a chatbot!

Every day there’s another technology story in the news, ranging from cyber-attacks on municipal water systems to AI chatbots going “rogue.” Yet beneath the sensational headlines is a continuous evolution of human-technology interactions.

Humans Interacting With Chatbots

The AI-powered large-language-model (LLM) chatbots handle a significant volume of human communications online. Over half of midsize to large companies have their website interactions managed by chatbots, with AI tools handling about 70 percent of customer inquiries before they ever get to speak with a human! After all, AI chatbots don’t tire or take coffee breaks, and they can manage 24/7 inquiries with ease.

Millions of users engage in chatbot conversations every day, with as many as a billion people now making daily use of AI chatbots worldwide.[1] These go beyond simple customer service inquiries, because humans like conversation, so chatbots have become a new source of online social discourse.

The APA surveyed 1,200 licensed U.S. psychologists and discovered that many patients apparently supplement their mental health treatments with advice from AI chatbots. About 40 percent of psychologists reported their patients used AI to self-diagnose, and about 33 percent of the surveyed psychologists reported their patients used AI to help with positive affirmations or behavioral reminders (34 percent) to assist with their treatment. In other words, AI chatbots are already acting as a supplement to mental health treatment, and for many, they’re becoming key social and emotional supports.[2]

Researchers have begun to study these human-AI interactions and suggest that human-chatbot interactions can trigger deep emotional responses, with users even forming “parasocial attachments.” On the benefits side, human interactions with AI chatbots did reduce anxiety in controlled studies.[3]

But a darker side of overuse of chatbots is also becoming apparent: Emotional reliance on chatbots can inadvertently worsen loneliness, and excess interaction with chatbots (instead of living humans) might erode essential real-world social skills.[3] Chatbots that simulate conversation with synthetic empathy, endowed with a voice and personality that encourages bonding and attachment, can create dependency........

© Psychology Today