Third of UK citizens have used AI for emotional support, research reveals

More and more people are turning to artificial intelligence in search of emotional support. Young people struggling with the endless wait for their diagnoses, adults living alone in need of company, teenagers misunderstood by their parents; different generations need different kinds of support.

According to recent research conducted by the British government agency responsible for artificial intelligence safety, one in ten people use some form of AI system for emotional purposes on a weekly basis, and around 4% do so daily. Although the numbers may seem insignificant, the habitual and continuous use of chatbots for emotional management poses a significant risk, with potentially fatal consequences.

The virtual nature of chatbots already makes it particularly complex to build a relationship based on potentially “erroneous” information and interactions. Furthermore, according to the findings, users accustomed to interacting with this type of technology have shown symptoms of withdrawal such as anxiety, depression, and restlessness in rare cases of blackouts and power outages.