A study from Waseda University found that a large number of people are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) for emotional support.
About 75% of participants said they had asked AI for advice about personal feelings, and 39% described AI as something steady and reliable in their lives.
The research was led by Fan Yang and Professor Atsushi Oshio from Waseda’s Faculty of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.
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The researchers developed a tool called the Experiences in Human-AI Relationships Scale (EHARS), which measures people’s emotional relationships with AI. Their findings were published in Current Psychology.
The study focused on two main patterns in how people connect with AI, similar to the way we form bonds with other people.
One is called attachment anxiety, where people look for comfort and worry about not getting enough of it. The other is called attachment avoidance, where people feel uneasy getting emotionally close and prefer some distance.
A total of 242 individuals in China participated in the study. Of those, 108, including 83 women and 25 men, completed the full EHARS questionnaire.
The results showed that those with higher attachment anxiety tended to have lower self-esteem. On the other hand, people with high attachment avoidance often had more negative views of AI and did not use it much.
The researchers pointed out that AI cannot leave or cut ties. Therefore, in theory, it should reduce the fear of being rejected. However, many participants still showed signs of anxiety toward AI.
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