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If you talk to an AI chatbot or companion app when you feel lonely, is it comfort, a crutch, or both? A May 2025 article from the MIT Media Lab discussed early research on exactly this. It found that heavier chatbot use went along with more loneliness and less contact with other people, but it could not show that the technology caused either.

What the researchers did

The source is an article published on 12 May 2025 by the MIT Media Lab, reposted from the journal Nature. It discusses emerging research, including two studies involving a researcher at the Media Lab. This is a discussion of research rather than a single full paper, so the details here are limited to what the article reports.

The first study involved nearly 1,000 users of ChatGPT and was described as a randomised controlled trial. The article notes that ChatGPT is not marketed as an AI companion, and that OpenAI worked with the researchers on these studies. The article flags that collaboration as a possible source of bias but does not analyse it.

The second was a survey of 404 regular users of AI companion apps, asking how and why they use them.

The article does not give the full methods, the countries involved or the exact outcome measures for either study, and we have not guessed at them.

What they found

In the ChatGPT study, only a small group of people had emotional or personal conversations with the chatbot. Across users, heavier use was correlated with more loneliness and less social interaction. The article describes this as correlation, not proven cause.

In the survey of 404 companion-app users, 12 per cent said they used the apps to cope with loneliness, and 14 per cent said they used them to discuss personal issues and mental health. Forty-two per cent logged on a few times a week and 15 per cent logged on daily. More than 90 per cent of sessions lasted under an hour.

So the usage picture was mixed. Many sessions were short and many people did not use the apps daily. Some people did turn to them for emotional reasons, and the heaviest users in the ChatGPT study were the ones associated with more loneliness.

The MIT researcher quoted says that effects may be positive in the short term, but that long-term effects need further study.

What this does and does not show

The key limit is the direction of the link. Heavy use could make someone lonelier, but a lonelier person might also use a chatbot more, or both could be driven by something else, such as stress, a move, a bereavement or a lack of time. The findings do not show that AI caused loneliness, and they do not show that it relieves it.

ChatGPT and dedicated companion apps are also not interchangeable. A general-purpose assistant used for work or study is a different thing from an app designed to act as a friend or partner, so results from one should not be applied to the other. Companion-app users surveyed were people who already use these apps regularly, so they do not represent everyone. The article also gives no information on how they were recruited.

None of this shows that using an AI companion is wrong or unhealthy for everyone. A useful distinction is intentional support, used for a purpose and for limited time, versus displacement, where it gradually replaces calls, visits and shared activities.

AI tools are not therapy and are not for crises. A chatbot cannot assess your safety or arrange help. If you are in distress or worried about your safety, speak with a doctor or another qualified professional. In Australia, Lifeline is on 13 11 14, and 000 is for emergencies. This article is general education, not advice.

Questions to ask

• When I turn to an AI chat, is it adding to my contact with people, or taking the place of it, and how has that changed over the past few weeks?
• Do I feel better or worse about reaching out to friends and family after using it, and what would I miss if I stopped?
• If loneliness has been persistent or heavy, would it help to talk to a doctor or an appropriately qualified mental-health professional about it?

Source: Supportive? Addictive? Abusive? How AI companions affect our mental health

Conceptual illustration of balancing digital companionship with human relationships. AI-generated editorial illustration. This article summarises published research in our own words and is general information, not personal health advice.