Heavy ChatGPT use may fuel loneliness, study warns

A joint study by OpenAI and MIT Media Lab has raised concerns about the psychological effects of prolonged ChatGPT usage, suggesting that frequent interactions with the AI chatbot may contribute to increased loneliness and emotional dependence.

The study examined over 40 million ChatGPT interactions and surveyed 4,000 users to assess the emotional and behavioral impact of AI conversations. Additionally, researchers conducted a randomised controlled trial with 1,000 participants who engaged with ChatGPT for at least five minutes daily over four weeks.