One in three using AI for emotional support and conversation, UK says

One in three adults in the UK are using artificial intelligence (AI) for emotional support or social interaction, according to research published by a government body, El.kz cites BBC.

And one in 25 people turned to the tech for support or conversation every day, the AI Security Institute (AISI) said.

The report is based on two years of testing the abilities of more than 30 unnamed advanced AIs - covering areas critical to security, including cyber skills, chemistry and biology.

The government said AISI's work would support its future plans by helping companies fix problems "before their AI systems are widely used".

A survey by AISI of over 2,000 UK adults found people were primarily using chatbots like ChatGPT for emotional support or social interaction, followed by voice assistants like Amazon's Alexa.

Researchers also analysed what happened to an online community of more than two million Reddit users dedicated to discussing AI companions, when the tech failed.

The researchers found when the chatbots went down, people reported self-described "symptoms of withdrawal", such as feeling anxious or depressed - as well as having disrupted sleep or neglecting their responsibilities.