OpenAI and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have conducted a study of artificial intelligence’s impact on humans. They found that people who use ChatGPT daily can become emotionally dependent on the application.
It is reported by The Japan Times.
The experiment’s results demonstrate that the active use of AI chatbots can reduce the time spent communicating with real people. Respondents also experienced an increased level of loneliness.
AI application developers are developing increasingly complex models with voice functions that allow them to imitate live human communication. As a result, the study authors say, the risks of forming parasocial relationships with chatbots may increase.
The researchers observed nearly 1,000 people for a month. Participants had different previous experiences with ChatGPT and were randomly assigned to either the text-only or voice version of the service. People use the chat for at least five minutes a day. Some were asked to talk to the AI on any topic. In contrast, others were invited to have personal or non-personal conversations with the service.