Regular interaction with AI-powered chatbots does not help students cope with loneliness or reduce emotional stress, researchers have found, as reported by infohub.kz.
In a study published on Phys.org, researchers divided university students into three groups. The first group engaged in daily conversations with a specially configured AI companion, the second exchanged messages with random peers, and the third simply kept a journal.
The analysis showed that interacting with the neural network only briefly lowered negative emotional states. In the long term, chatbot users reported the same levels of loneliness as those who wrote down their thoughts on paper.
Only participants who interacted with real people saw improvements in their psychological well-being. The researchers attribute this to the need for mutual support: it's important for individuals not only to receive empathy but also to show it in return, which is impossible when communicating with algorithms.