[New Study: Long-Term AI Companionship May Affect Mental Health] A new study led by Aalto University in Finland shows that while AI (artificial intelligence) companionship can alleviate loneliness and provide emotional support to some extent, long-term use may have negative impacts on users' mental health and real-world social relationships. The two-year study used data from nearly 2,000 users on an online community platform, combined with in-depth interviews, to analyze the impact of AI companionship on users' psychological state and social behavior. The study found that while AI companionship and interaction can provide comfort and support, users also showed more signs of anxiety, loneliness, depression, and even self-harm thoughts in their language. Data showed that after starting to use such AI systems, users' posts on online platforms more frequently touched on interpersonal relationship topics, but their expressions also showed an increase in negative emotional signals. However, researchers emphasized that it is currently impossible to simply determine the benefits and harms of AI companionship to mental health; its impact largely depends on the specific usage context and individual differences. A feeling of well-being in the present may not necessarily be beneficial to mental and physical health in the long run. With the rapid development of AI, people need to be more cautious when using related technologies.
