To What Extent Does AI Companionship Impact Human Emotional Well-being and Loneliness?
Nandini Chhibber¹, Aron Elias², Jalyn Huang³#
¹ Van Nuys High School
² Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science
³ Irvine High School
#Advisor
ABSTRACT
Artificial Intelligence has increased in its usage by humans, especially applications such as AI Companionship. AI Companions have been created by humans to support and help humans emotionally and has become one of the most used AI features. The increase in the usage of AI Companionship brings many benefits, but also can have multiple negative consequences. This review paper analyzes studies about the effects of AI Companions on different generations (Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers), different genders, and its overall positive and negative impacts on humans. It shows how AI Companionship mostly impacts all ages in similar ways besides a few differences and how females tend to be more emotionally reliant on it compared to males who are more sexually dependent on it. While AI Companionship can help humans by providing emotional support without judgement, it can also cause them isolation from real-world relationships. Explaining these topics about AI Companionship is important in helping humans understand its characteristics and can be efficiently used by people to decide whether or not having an AI Companion is the best choice for them.
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