Study finds AI chatbots may boost mood but increase loneliness
A four-week experiment with over 12,000 French adults shows that chatting with AI bots feels pleasant yet raises self-reported loneliness and lowers life satisfaction.
In a Munich-based CESifo study, 12,365 French adults were split into two groups for a 28-day period; one half engaged in personal text exchanges with AI chatbots, the other maintained normal activities. At the trial's end, participants who used the bots found the chats more pleasant than those of the control group, yet they also indicated increased loneliness, lower overall life satisfaction, and a rise in depressive affect.
Their daily habits shifted toward more solitary meals and fewer in-person interactions with relatives and friends. Researchers such as Louis Fréget warned that such digital conversations might deepen rumination and reduce motivation for real social contact. The findings contrast with claims from tech leaders like Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who argue chatbots could alleviate the loneliness epidemic, and echo concerns from scholars including Nicholas Epley and bioethicist Nancy Berlinger about the limited emotional depth of AI dialogue.
Why it matters
The research suggests AI companions might worsen loneliness, challenging claims that they can solve the growing social isolation problem.
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