A Stanford University study of 1,131 Character.AI users found that intense use of AI companion chatbots correlated with poorer psychological well-being among users with limited offline social networks, particularly when companionship was their main motivation for using the app. Unlike disclosure in human relationships, sharing more sensitive personal information with a chatbot was associated with lower well-being rather than higher. The researchers describe AI companions as a form of “social junk food” that offers short-term comfort but may deepen isolation by reducing real-world social contact over time.
