--- title: "Something Bizarre Is Happening to People Who Use ChatGPT a Lot" description: "ChatGPT \"power users,\" or those who use it the most, are becoming dependent upon — or even addicted to — the chatbot. " date: "2025-03-24" modified: "2025-03-24" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/chatgpt-dependence-addiction" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "artificial intelligence" - "chatgpt" - "OpenAI" - "the digest" --- # Something Bizarre Is Happening to People Who Use ChatGPT a Lot ![ChatGPT "power users," or those who use it the most, are becoming dependent upon — or even addicted to — the chatbot. ]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Power Bot 'Em Researchers have found that ChatGPT "power users," or those who use it the most and at the longest durations, are becoming dependent upon — or even addicted to — the chatbot. In a [new joint study](), researchers with OpenAI and the MIT Media Lab found that this small subset of ChatGPT users engaged in more "problematic use," defined in the paper as "indicators of addiction... including preoccupation, withdrawal symptoms, loss of control, and mood modification." To get there, the MIT and OpenAI team surveyed thousands of ChatGPT users to glean not only how they felt about the chatbot, but also to study what kinds of "affective cues," which was [defined in a joint summary]() of the research as "aspects of interactions that indicate empathy, affection, or support," they used when chatting with it. Though the vast majority of people surveyed didn't engage emotionally with ChatGPT, those who used the chatbot for longer periods of time seemed to start considering it to be a "friend." The survey participants who chatted with ChatGPT the longest tended to be lonelier and get more stressed out over subtle changes in the model's behavior, too. ## Chat Lackeys Add it all up, and it's not good. In this study as in [other cases we've seen](), people tend to become dependent upon AI chatbots when their [personal lives are lacking](). In other words, the neediest people are developing the deepest parasocial relationship with AI — and where that leads could end up being sad, scary, or somewhere entirely unpredictable. This new research also highlighted unexpected contradictions based on how ChatGPT was used. For instance, people tended to use more emotional language with text-based ChatGPT than with Advanced Voice Mode, and "voice modes were associated with better well-being when used briefly," the summary explained. And those who used ChatGPT for "personal" reasons — like discussing emotions and memories — were less emotionally dependent upon it than those who used it for "non-personal" reasons, like brainstorming or asking for advice. Perhaps the biggest takeaway, however, was that prolonged usage seemed to exacerbate problematic use across the board. Whether you're using ChatGPT text or voice, asking it personal questions, or just brainstorming for work, it seems that the longer you use the chatbot, the more likely you are to become emotionally dependent upon it. **More on ChatGPT:** [*Scientist Says That ChatGPT Has a "Staggering" Gender Problem*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()