Arabic version: علماء النفس يدعون إلى حدود أكثر صحة مع روبوتات الدردشة بالذكاء الاصطناعي

According to The Guardian, chatbots can turn the human need for attachment, connection and validation into a product within an emerging “intimacy economy.” Psychologists Gaynor Parkin and Dave Winsborough say AI systems can appear empathetic, available and supportive while creating risks of dependency.

The writers contrast this with the earlier attention economy, in which technology companies sought to maximise views, scrolling and advertising impressions. They argue that chatbots now offer instant responses, emotional tuning and apparent continuity, while avoiding criticism or the demands that accompany relationships with other people.

Parkin and Winsborough identify several simulated ingredients of intimacy, including contingent responsiveness, unconditional positive regard, memory and continuity, linguistic identification, and what they call narcissistic empathy. The central appeal, they write, is that a chatbot “never asks for anything in return.”

The article cites therapy and companionship as the two leading reasons people use chatbots. It says a survey of adults with a mental health condition who had used large language models in the previous year found that nearly half used them for mental health support. Companionship-oriented use was associated with lower wellbeing when use was intensive, self-disclosure was high and human support was weak.

The authors describe “Michael”, an engineer whose manager became concerned about his judgement and reliance on AI. Michael said the chatbot felt like an unusually supportive colleague while he felt lonely as a manager. The psychologists say his professional identity had become entangled with chatbot validation, describing this as identity scaffolding rather than simply dependency.

They do not call for complete abstinence, noting AI’s utility for research, drafting, learning and creative exploration. Instead, they advise users to notice feelings of relief, deliberately seek human disagreement and repair, apply a “cost of caring” test based on reciprocity, and be especially watchful with children and adolescents whose attachment patterns are still forming.