AI Impact Assessment: Measuring Technology’s Effect on Your Life and Well-being

A self-reflection guide for noticing how AI affects your relationships, work and mood.

Most people use AI without trouble. This guide helps you check whether it is helping you, and gives you plain questions to ask yourself. It is a tool for reflection. It is not a clinical test, it has not been validated by research, and it cannot diagnose anything. “AI addiction” is not a formal diagnosis. The DSM-5-TR lists gambling disorder as its one behavioral addiction and gaming disorder as needing more study (APA), and the WHO’s ICD-11 lists gaming disorder (WHO).

Understanding AI Impact Assessment

Beyond Simple Usage Metrics

Hours of use are a weak guide on their own. Two people can spend the same time with a chatbot, and for one it is a useful study aid and for the other it is a way to avoid everyone they know. The more useful questions are about effects: how you sleep, how you feel, how your relationships and your work are going, and whether you can choose to stop.

Research so far is limited. In a four-week study of about 1,000 adults by MIT Media Lab and OpenAI, most people did not use ChatGPT in an emotional way. Those who used it heavily each day tended to report more loneliness and dependence, but that is an association and not proof of cause (MIT Media Lab). A survey of 319 knowledge workers found that more trust in AI went with less self-reported critical thinking (Microsoft Research). Neither study measures harm directly.

The Five Areas to Look At

• Thinking and attention. Can you still work things out for yourself?
• Emotions. Is AI your main way of calming down or feeling understood?
• Relationships. Are you spending time with people?
• Work and goals. Is AI helping you get things done, or doing them for you?
• Identity and choices. Do you still feel like the author of your decisions?

Thinking and Attention

Ask yourself:

• Do I feel anxious about making a decision before I have asked an AI?
• Do I turn to AI before I have tried a problem myself?
• Do I check AI answers, or accept them as they are?
• Can I read, write or concentrate for a stretch without reaching for it?
• Has my confidence in my own judgment changed since I started using it?

A small MIT preprint of 54 people writing essays found weaker brain connectivity on EEG in the chatbot group and more trouble quoting their own essays (arXiv). It was a small sample and a single task. Use it as a prompt to keep your own skills in practice, not as proof of damage.

Emotions

Ask yourself:

• When I feel sad, stressed or anxious, who or what do I turn to first?
• Do I tell a chatbot good or bad news before I tell a person?
• Do I feel more understood by AI than by the people around me?
• How do I feel if the app is down or I cannot use it?
• After a long chat, do I feel better, the same or worse?

Try writing down your top five ways of coping with stress. Count how many involve other people, how many involve AI and how many are things you do yourself, such as walking or journaling. A mix is healthy. One method carrying everything is worth a look.

Relationships

Ask yourself:

• How much of my week is spent with people, and has that changed?
• Have I turned down invitations to keep chatting?
• Do I feel patient in slow or awkward conversations?
• Am I hiding how much I use AI from people close to me?
• Do I feel able to be honest with real people about what I feel?

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry lists strong attachment to an AI, preferring it to friends and family, and growing isolation as warning signs in young people (AACAP). The same signs are worth noticing at any age.

Work and Goals

Ask yourself:

• Could I do my main tasks if the tool disappeared for a week?
• Am I learning, or just getting things done?
• Can I explain my work in my own words?
• Do I feel proud of what I make, or detached from it?
• Do I put off tasks until I can ask an AI about them?

Identity and Choices

Ask yourself:

• Are my opinions still mine, or do I just adopt what the chatbot says?
• Do I use it to avoid uncomfortable feelings or hard conversations?
• Am I the same person with AI as I am with people?
• Would I make this big decision the same way without it?

A Simple Self-Check

Read each statement and answer yes, sometimes or no. There is no score. This list is not a standard questionnaire, so do not read it as a measurement.

1. I feel confident making important decisions without AI input.
2. I can solve problems without immediately consulting AI.
3. I check AI answers instead of assuming they are right.
4. I can focus on a task without checking AI.
5. I still enjoy coming up with ideas of my own.
6. I have ways of coping that do not involve AI.
7. My mood is steady when AI is unavailable.
8. I seek support from people as much as from AI.
9. I can handle difficult feelings without chatting to AI.
10. My sense of self-worth does not depend on AI.
11. My relationships with people feel satisfying.
12. I spend more time with people than with AI.
13. My social skills feel steady or improving.
14. I prefer being with people to chatting with AI.
15. I can deal with relationship problems without retreating to AI.
16. I can finish important work without AI.
17. I am still learning new skills.
18. The quality of my work does not depend on AI.
19. I pursue goals that need long effort.
20. I feel satisfied with work I finish on my own.

If you answered “no” to many, that is information, not a verdict. Pick the area where you said “no” most and start there.

Reading Your Answers

Look for patterns, not totals. A few things to consider:

• Is the “no” cluster in one area, such as relationships or sleep? Start there.
• Are the answers different from a year ago? Direction matters more than a snapshot.
• Do other people notice something you do not? A close friend or partner may see a pattern first. Ask, and try not to be defensive.
• Are some answers about stress rather than AI? Work, money, grief and loneliness can all lie behind heavy use. Treating the cause helps more than limiting the app.

Tracking and Experiments

Tracking can make patterns visible.

• Mood note. For a week, write down a quick mood rating before and after AI sessions.
• Sleep note. Note when you last used AI each night and how you slept.
• Pause test. Choose one day without AI for a task you normally use it for and see how it feels. If you rely on a companion for emotional support, go gently. Plan a person to talk to, and do not use a sudden stop to test yourself.

Notice, do not judge yourself harshly. Mild annoyance on a day without it is normal. Panic, strong distress or being unable to do a basic task is worth discussing with a professional.

Keep the notes short. A few lines a day is plenty, and you can stop whenever it starts to feel like a chore.

Who Can Help

Start with your doctor or a licensed therapist. They can look at the whole picture, including sleep, mood and anxiety. If your work is affected, speak to your manager or an employee assistance program. If you are a parent, the AACAP guidance linked above is a good place to start.

If you are thinking about suicide or self-harm, call or text 988 (US) or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line). For treatment referrals, SAMHSA’s helpline is 1-800-662-4357. In an emergency, call 911.

If You Are Worried About Someone Else

You cannot assess another person from outside, and a questionnaire is not a verdict. Start with a calm, private conversation. Say what you have noticed and that you care, then listen. Avoid checking their phone or setting ultimatums, which usually make people more secretive. Suggest a doctor or a licensed therapist if their sleep, mood, work or school is suffering, or if they say they want to cut back and cannot.

Putting It Together

You do not have to give up AI. The point is to keep it as something you use, not something you need. Review your answers every few months. If your answers are changing in a direction you do not like, take a small step: one boundary, one conversation, one change to your routine.

Is this self-check a medical test?

No. It is a set of reflection questions. It has not been validated, it has no scoring and it cannot diagnose anything. Use it to start a conversation with yourself or a professional.

How often should I review my AI use?

Every few months is enough for most people. Check sooner if your sleep, mood, work or relationships change.

What if I find it hard to go a day without AI?

Take it as information, not a failure. Try shorter breaks first and tell someone you trust. If it causes real distress or you cannot cut back when you want to, talk to your doctor or a licensed therapist.

This page is for education only. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis or a treatment plan.