A national survey of 1,000 U.S. adults found that artificial intelligence (AI) use is widespread, particularly among adults under 50 and those with a four-year or postgraduate degree. The survey also found that 12% of AI users turn to the technology for companionship or conversation and that these AI companionship users are more likely than other AI users to believe chatbots can rival some abilities of human therapists. The survey was conducted as part of CSSI's SurveyHarvest.

A newly selected interdisciplinary team at the University of Iowa is launching a research collaboration to better understand how social isolation and disrupted sleep patterns contribute to reliance on AI chatbots—and how these interactions may pose risks to mental health. The project is supported by the Research Convergence Residency Program at the Center for Social Science Innovation (CSSI).