By Kaan Ozcan
Publication Date: 2026-01-22 00:43:00
People who interact with chatbots for emotional support or other personal reasons are more likely to report symptoms of depression or anxiety, according to a new study.
Mass General Brigham researchers surveyed 20,847 predominantly white men and women in the United States about their AI use and mental health symptoms.
In the survey published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open, 10.3% of participants said they use artificial intelligence “at least daily” and 5% said they use it “several times a day.” Of those who use an AI program at least daily, almost half used it for work and about 11% used it for school. Of daily users, 87.1% said they use it for personal reasons, which could include recommendations, advice or emotional support.
Dr. Roy Perlis, one of the study’s lead authors, said that most people’s exposure to artificial intelligence is through chatbots.
The average age of the study participants was 47 years. Those who used chatbots daily for personal reasons were more likely…
