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.

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 schoolwork 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 that 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.

“People don’t realize that relational learning happens during the teenage years and that these moments of social connection are little building blocks that become bigger things that will benefit you throughout life,” Ha added. “You really need those building blocks so you actually learn the skills that you need to thrive in your relationships.”

Another possible risk, “maladaptive relational learning,” relates to adolescents potentially developing impractical expectations about human relationships as AI programs can sometimes perpetuate unhealthy ideas about relationships among young individuals, ASU News reported.

“I don’t think I really expected for so many teens to have the same concerns or thoughts when it came to AI,” high school senior Susana Ortega told the outlet. “We all mostly had concerns about how AI was replacing actual human connection and how it limits a lot of those needs that humans have that cannot be replaced with a computer artificial intelligence.”

Though, the researchers noted that AI technology can provide immediate, nonjudgmental support for youths and also can potentially bolster their emotional development, according to ASU News.

A Florida Atlantic University and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire study published in May found that 60.2% of teens reported having used a conversational AI chatbot at least once or twice, while 11.4% utilize them daily or almost every day.

Additionally, AI chatbots can sometimes tell children untrue, harmful, blatantly sexual or violent things, according to HealthyChildren.org.

“With artificial intelligence, it’s programmed to like you and it knows what to say to satisfy what you’re feeding it,” Ortega told ASU News. “If you’re given full satisfaction on everything, you don’t have learning experience with challenges or obstacles.”

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