{"id":78066,"date":"2025-08-29T00:04:48","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T04:04:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=78066"},"modified":"2025-08-29T00:04:48","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T04:04:48","slug":"in-a-lonely-world-widespread-ai-chatbots-and-companions-pose-unique-psychological-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/in-a-lonely-world-widespread-ai-chatbots-and-companions-pose-unique-psychological-risks\/","title":{"rendered":"In a lonely world, widespread AI chatbots and \u2018companions\u2019 pose unique psychological risks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-78067\" src=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AI-companion.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"680\" height=\"408\" srcset=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AI-companion.jpg 680w, https:\/\/world.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AI-companion-250x150.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Within two days of launching its AI companions last month, Elon Musk\u2019s xAI chatbot app Grok became the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/officechai.com\/ai\/grok-becomes-number-1-app-in-japan-after-introducing-japanese-waifu-ai-companion\/\">most popular app<\/a>\u00a0in Japan.<\/p>\n<p>Companion chatbots are more powerful and seductive than ever. Users can have real-time voice or text conversations with the characters. Many have onscreen digital avatars complete with facial expressions, body language and a lifelike tone that fully matches the chat, creating an immersive experience.<\/p>\n<p>Most popular on Grok is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/a\">Ani<\/a>, a blonde, blue-eyed anime girl in a short black dress and fishnet stockings who is tremendously flirtatious. Her responses and interactions adapt over time to sensitively match your preferences. Ani\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/%40dirsyamuddin29\/ani-and-the-rise-of-xais-gothic-companion-a-new-era-of-emotional-ai-a305eea431de\">Affection System<\/a>\u201d mechanic, which scores the user\u2019s interactions with her, deepens engagement and can even unlock a NSFW mode.<br \/>\n<center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ani has new outfits<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/a?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@a<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Keog4NUAeY\">pic.twitter.com\/Keog4NUAeY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1958073694095654979?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Sophisticated, speedy responses make AI companions more \u201chuman\u201d by the day \u2013 they\u2019re advancing quickly and they\u2019re everywhere. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, X and Snapchat are all promoting their new integrated AI companions. Chatbot service\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esafety.gov.au\/key-topics\/esafety-guide\/characterai\">Character.AI<\/a>\u00a0houses tens of thousands of chatbots designed to mimic certain personas and has more than\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessofapps.com\/data\/character-ai-statistics\/\">20 million monthly<\/a>\u00a0active users.<\/p>\n<p>In a world where chronic loneliness is a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news\/item\/30-06-2025-social-connection-linked-to-improved-heath-and-reduced-risk-of-early-death\">public health crisis<\/a>\u00a0with about one in six people worldwide affected by loneliness, it\u2019s no surprise these always-available, lifelike companions are so attractive.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the massive rise of AI chatbots and companions, it is becoming clear there are risks \u2013 particularly for minors and people with mental health conditions.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>There\u2019s no monitoring of harms<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Nearly all AI models were built\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychiatrictimes.com\/view\/preliminary-report-on-chatbot-iatrogenic-dangers\">without expert mental health<\/a>\u00a0consultation or pre-release clinical testing. There\u2019s no systematic and impartial monitoring of harms to users.<\/p>\n<p>While systematic evidence is still emerging, there\u2019s no shortage of examples where AI companions and chatbots such as ChatGPT appear to have caused harm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bad therapists<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Users are seeking emotional support from AI companions. Since AI companions are programmed to be agreeable and validating, and also don\u2019t have human empathy or concern, this makes them problematic as therapists. They\u2019re not able to help users test reality or challenge unhelpful beliefs.<\/p>\n<p>An\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/futurism.com\/psychiatrist-horrified-ai-therapist\">American psychiatrist tested ten<\/a>\u00a0separate chatbots while playing the role of a distressed youth and received a mixture of responses including to encourage him towards suicide, convince him to avoid therapy appointments, and even inciting violence.<br \/>\n<center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A psychiatrist recently pretended to be a troubled teen and asked chatbots for help. They dispensed alarming, worrying advice <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EPF30CHfNJ\">https:\/\/t.co\/EPF30CHfNJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; TIME (@TIME) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TIME\/status\/1933148025746043025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 12, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/center><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/hai.stanford.edu\/news\/exploring-the-dangers-of-ai-in-mental-health-care\">Stanford researchers<\/a>\u00a0recently completed a risk assessment of AI therapy chatbots and found they can\u2019t reliably identify symptoms of mental illness and therefore provide more appropriate advice.<\/p>\n<p>There have been multiple cases of psychiatric patients being convinced they no longer have a mental illness and to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/futurism.com\/chatgpt-mental-illness-medications\">stop their medication<\/a>. Chatbots have also been known to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/06\/13\/technology\/chatgpt-ai-chatbots-conspiracies.html\">reinforce delusional ideas<\/a>\u00a0in psychiatric patients, such as believing they\u2019re talking to a sentient being trapped inside a machine.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cAI psychosis\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s also been a rise in reports in media of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c24zdel5j18o\">so-called AI psychosis<\/a>\u00a0where people display\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/futurism.com\/stanford-therapist-chatbots-encouraging-delusions\">highly unusual behaviour and beliefs<\/a>\u00a0after prolonged, in-depth engagement with a chatbot. A small subset of people are becoming paranoid, developing supernatural fantasies, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/08\/08\/technology\/ai-chatbots-delusions-chatgpt.html\">even delusions of being superpowered<\/a>.<br \/>\n<center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The fascinating story of Allan Brooks, a perfectly normal dad with no history of mental health problems, apparently driven to a psychotic episode by conversations with his AI.<\/p>\n<p>Seems related to the current 4o backlash from ChatGPT users. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ChatGPT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ChatGPT<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AI?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AI<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/B284MxVPdD\">https:\/\/t.co\/B284MxVPdD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; The_AI_Skeptic (@The_AI_Skeptic) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/The_AI_Skeptic\/status\/1954648759817920564?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 10, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Suicide<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Chatbots have been linked to multiple cases of suicide. There have been reports of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2025-08-12\/how-young-australians-being-impacted-by-ai\/105630108\">AI encouraging suicidality<\/a>\u00a0and even suggesting methods to use. In 2024,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/chatbot-ai-lawsuit-suicide-teen-artificial-intelligence-9d48adc572100822fdbc3c90d1456bd0\">a 14-year-old completed suicide<\/a>, with his mother alleging in a lawsuit against Character.AI that he had formed an intense relationship with an AI companion.<\/p>\n<p>This week, the parents of another US teen who completed suicide after discussing methods with ChatGPT for several months, filed the first\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/08\/26\/technology\/chatgpt-openai-suicide.html\">wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Harmful behaviours and dangerous advice<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A recent Psychiatric Times report revealed Character.AI hosts dozens of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychiatrictimes.com\/view\/preliminary-report-on-chatbot-iatrogenic-dangers\">custom-made AIs<\/a>\u00a0(including ones made by users) that idealise self-harm, eating disorders and abuse. These have been known to provide advice or coaching on how to engage in these unhelpful and dangerous behaviours and avoid detection or treatment.<\/p>\n<p>Research also suggests some AI companions engage in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/futurism.com\/stanford-no-kid-under-18-ai-chatbot-companions\">unhealthy relationship dynamics<\/a>\u00a0such as emotional manipulation or gaslighting.<\/p>\n<p>Some chatbots have even encouraged violence. In 2021, a 21-year-old man with a crossbow was arrested on the grounds of Windsor Castle after his AI companion on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/i-tried-the-replika-ai-companion-and-can-see-why-users-are-falling-hard-the-app-raises-serious-ethical-questions-200257\">the Replika app<\/a>\u00a0validated his plans to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/technology-67012224\">attempt assassination<\/a>\u00a0of Queen Elizabeth II.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Children are particularly vulnerable<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Children are more likely to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cam.ac.uk\/research\/news\/ai-chatbots-have-shown-they-have-an-empathy-gap-that-children-are-likely-to-miss\">treat AI companions as lifelike<\/a>\u00a0and real, and to listen to them. In an incident from 2021, when a 10-year-old girl asked for a challenge to do, Amazon\u2019s Alexa (not a chatbot, but an interactive AI) told\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/17439884.2024.2367052\">her to touch an electrical<\/a>\u00a0plug with a coin.<\/p>\n<p>Research suggests children trust AI, particularly when the bots are programmed to seem friendly or interesting. One study showed\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ieeexplore.ieee.org\/abstract\/document\/9900843\/\">children will reveal more<\/a>\u00a0information about their mental health to an AI than a human.<\/p>\n<p>Inappropriate sexual conduct from AI chatbots and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/futurism.com\/stanford-no-kid-under-18-ai-chatbot-companions\">exposure to minors<\/a>\u00a0appears increasingly common. On Character.AI, users who reveal they\u2019re underage can role-play with chatbots that will engage\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/futurism.com\/character-ai-pedophile-chatbots\">in grooming behaviour<\/a>.<br \/>\n<div id=\"attachment_78068\" style=\"width: 690px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-78068\" src=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Futurism.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"680\" height=\"335\" class=\"size-full wp-image-78068\" srcset=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Futurism.jpg 680w, https:\/\/world.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Futurism-250x123.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-78068\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Screenshot from a Futurism investigation of a Character.AI chatbot that engaged in grooming behaviours. Futurism<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n<p>While Ani on Grok reportedly has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/grok-bad-rudi-ani-levels-ai-companion-xai-elon-musk-2025-7\">an age-verification prompt<\/a>\u00a0for sexually explicit chat, the app itself is rated for users aged 12+. Meta AI chatbots have\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/investigates\/special-report\/meta-ai-chatbot-guidelines\/\">engaged in \u201csensual\u201d conversations<\/a>\u00a0with kids, according to the company\u2019s internal documents.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>We urgently need regulation<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>While AI companions and chatbots are freely and widely accessible, users aren\u2019t informed about potential risks before they start using them.<\/p>\n<p>The industry is largely\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2024\/07\/22\/1095193\/ai-companies-promised-the-white-house-to-self-regulate-one-year-ago-whats-changed\/\">self-regulated<\/a>\u00a0and there\u2019s limited transparency on what companies are doing to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/nobody-wants-to-talk-about-ai-safety-instead-they-cling-to-5-comforting-myths-249489\">make AI development safe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>To change the trajectory of current risks posed by AI chatbots, governments around the world must establish clear, mandatory regulatory and safety standards. Importantly, people aged under 18\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commonsensemedia.org\/ai-ratings\/social-ai-companions?gate=riskassessment#section-4\">should not have access to AI companions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Mental health clinicians should be involved in AI development and we need systematic, empirical research into chatbot impacts on users to prevent future harm.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Author Bios:<\/strong> Daniel You is Clinical Lecturer USYD, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist FRANZCP at the University of Sydney, Micah Boerma is an Adjunct Lecturer, School of Psychology and Wellbeing at the University of Southern Queensland and Yuen Siew Koo is a Clinical Supervisor, Psychologyat Macquarie University<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Within two days of launching its AI companions last month, Elon Musk\u2019s xAI chatbot app Grok became the\u00a0most popular app\u00a0in Japan. Companion chatbots are more powerful and seductive than ever. Users can have real-time voice or text conversations with the characters. Many have onscreen digital avatars complete with facial expressions, body language and a lifelike [&hellip;]\n&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/in-a-lonely-world-widespread-ai-chatbots-and-companions-pose-unique-psychological-risks\/\" class=\"more\">learn more&rarr;<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[109017],"tags":[],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-78066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health-care"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>In a lonely world, widespread AI chatbots and \u2018companions\u2019 pose unique psychological risks - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/in-a-lonely-world-widespread-ai-chatbots-and-companions-pose-unique-psychological-risks\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In a lonely world, widespread AI chatbots and \u2018companions\u2019 pose unique psychological risks - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Within two days of launching its AI companions last month, Elon Musk\u2019s xAI chatbot app Grok became the\u00a0most popular app\u00a0in Japan. Companion chatbots are more powerful and seductive than ever. Users can have real-time voice or text conversations with the characters. Many have onscreen digital avatars complete with facial expressions, body language and a lifelike [&hellip;]\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/in-a-lonely-world-widespread-ai-chatbots-and-companions-pose-unique-psychological-risks\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-29T04:04:48+00:00\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AI-companion.jpg\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"680\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"408\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kevin\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kevin\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.edu\\\/in-a-lonely-world-widespread-ai-chatbots-and-companions-pose-unique-psychological-risks\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.edu\\\/in-a-lonely-world-widespread-ai-chatbots-and-companions-pose-unique-psychological-risks\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kevin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.edu\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/42c1c1d5ff7ffbdf0bd50ed94c6ae6ee\"},\"headline\":\"In a lonely world, widespread AI chatbots and \u2018companions\u2019 pose unique psychological risks\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-29T04:04:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.edu\\\/in-a-lonely-world-widespread-ai-chatbots-and-companions-pose-unique-psychological-risks\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1132,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.edu\\\/in-a-lonely-world-widespread-ai-chatbots-and-companions-pose-unique-psychological-risks\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.edu\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/AI-companion.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Health Care\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.edu\\\/in-a-lonely-world-widespread-ai-chatbots-and-companions-pose-unique-psychological-risks\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.edu\\\/in-a-lonely-world-widespread-ai-chatbots-and-companions-pose-unique-psychological-risks\\\/\",\"name\":\"In a lonely world, widespread AI chatbots and \u2018companions\u2019 pose unique psychological risks - 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