Is addiction to artificial intelligence possible?

November 30, 2023 marks the first year of the launch of ChatGPTa model of Artificial intelligence in dialogue format, developed by OpenAI, about which there is more and more information about its applications and repercussions and new questions arise about its impacts on society such as the risk of possible addiction.

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For example, it is known that information and communication technologies are generating in many users behaviors that fit one of the definitions of “addiction”: a dependence on the practice of an activity that is harmful to health or psychological balance. .

Some users surf the Internet by jumping from one hyperlink to another incessantly; they search on Google for hours; they play online video games non-stop; they watch sexual content without being able to “detach themselves” from the screen; or they connect to social networks every moment.

Others use their smartphone at all times and places; they waste enormous amounts of time and money on gambling or electronic purchases; or they spend all day online, sometimes until early morning, using dating apps and chats.

Could artificial intelligence (AI) be added to the list of digital channels or resources capable of causing addiction, especially in one of its most used and popular aspects, and accessible to users, such as conversational chatbots such as ChatGPT, Google Bard, Youchat, Bing Chat or Replika?

It is still early to know, but what has happened and is happening with other digital technologies can clearly offer some clues.

The emergence of chatbots

ChatGPT is the AI ​​assistant developed by OpenAI. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)

‘Chatbots’ are computer programs based on AI accessible through the Internet and that allow a user to maintain a conversation with a machine, which is capable of understanding and responding to them as if they were another human being.

In addition to providing information and generating content quickly, these systems interact with people with the naturalness and coherence of a human being, and can even “learn” to interpret the emotional tone of the user who communicates with the chatbot and respond accordingly. .

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Hyperconnectivity risks

This can be very attractive for certain people, especially young people, who feel lonely on a regular basis, says psychologist Gabriela Paoli, an expert in technological addictions.

“For years I have seen in my office problems related to the abuse of technology. For example, adults unable to put their cell phone on silent in case they call or receive a message, even at dinner with their partner or while they sleep,” she points out.

“There is also an increase in cases of adolescents hooked on the screen for most of the day and who seem to live in another world; or children who cry or become violent when their parents force them to give up control of the video game console,” says Paoli, author of the book ‘Digital Health’.

He adds that hyperconnectivity has brought us problems or disorders such as “nomophobia” (panic at not being able to communicate via mobile), the techno-stress that many workers or professionals suffer, or the “fomo” (“fear of missing out”), more common among young people and which manifest themselves in the form of anxiety, nervousness, anguish and, above all, a compulsive need to be connected.

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Given that the rise of AI chatbots is very recent, there is very little scientific or medical information about the problems they could generate and it is still early to have epidemiological data on a possible addiction to these systems, according to Paoli.

“Assuming that any activity that produces pleasure is susceptible to becoming addictive, AI can also expose us to some risks and dangers,” he maintains.

Dubious remedy for loneliness

It points out that those most vulnerable to possible addiction are adolescents and young people who are in the process of developing and consolidating their identity, their socio-emotional skills and making decisions about their future.

It is a future that in many cases generates uncertainty, fear and frustration, which is why it may be more tempting, fun and comfortable for them to talk to a ‘chatbot’ than with a human friend or colleague, according to this expert.

This ties into another growing problem: unwanted lonelinesswhich is affecting more and more young people, and not only the elderly, as has been happening, according to Paoli.

The feeling of feeling alone can turn these “social tools”, as some call chatbots, in a supposed “wonderful antidote” to loneliness, he adds.

However, paradoxically, they will produce the opposite, by intensifying, rather than mitigating, the feeling of loneliness and isolation of those people who resort to these technological systems, according to Paoli.

Thus, the supposed antidote to loneliness could become something toxic or pathological, warns the psychologist.

To prevent a possible addiction to chatbots, this expert recommends considering what use you want to give them, interacting with this technology consciously, and above all controlling the time we spend with these AI programs.

If a person does not pay attention to the duration of their connection, they can lose track of the time they spend on these interactions and spend days without speaking to anyone, concludes Gabriela Paoli.

Source: Elcomercio