Youths Relying On AI Companions Could Seriously Harm Their Development, New Study Shows
Relying on artificial intelligence tools for companionship could harm adolescents' development according to new research from Arizona State University.
Relying on artificial intelligence tools for companionship could harm adolescents’ development according to new research from Arizona State University.
The research, published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal, shows that reliance on certain AI tools could potentially result in youths having fewer chances to develop key relationship skills via personal interactions with other human beings, ASU News reported on Monday.
One major potential risk, “relational displacement,” occurs when adolescents replace human conversations with AI interactions, according to ASU News. The study’s authors suggested that adolescents who avoid having hard conversations with their family, friends or romantic partners may have fewer opportunities to develop essential relationship skills that safeguard against depression, anxiety and loneliness.
Youth participants in the study reported specific instances such as turning to AI chatbots for validation after arguing with their romantic partners and relying on AI for assistance with school work instead of contacting their peers in class for help, which can pose risks to their ability to connect with other people socially, according to the report. Chatbots are computer programs often powered by AI which can simulate human conversations, per IBM.
“The technologies are developing super fast, faster than we can keep up with as scientists, faster than governance and policy can keep up with,” ASU Associate Professor of Psychology Thao Ha, the study’s lead author, told ASU News.