What Research Says About AI Chatbots and Addiction
On September 16, the United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism convened a hearing to examine the dangers of AI chatbots, especially in regards to child safety. AI chatbots and their associated harms have also been the subject of recent news stories, including a Reuters investigation into Meta’s internal moderation policies that revealed the company sanctioned “sensual conversations” with children and a lawsuit against OpenAI over the suicide of a teen who sought advice from ChatGPT on how to end his life.
In a previous piece for Tech Policy Press, I looked at new research on the dangers of AI companions as they relate to mental well-being and safety, especially for minors. While those concerns persist, it is also crucial to understand how and why these chatbots are so popular. Are these chatbots addictive by design? Three papers on this subject reveal fresh insights:
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