The AI Addiction Center News & Research

Researchers are developing revolutionary approaches to understanding drug addiction and mental illness by combining artificial intelligence with detailed analysis of electrical and chemical signals in brain neurons, potentially transforming how addiction is diagnosed and treated. The emerging methodology focuses on modeling neural circuits at the cluster level, linking specific brain mechanisms to user experiences and […]

Leading medical professionals are issuing urgent warnings that AI companion applications could spark a widespread mental health crisis, particularly among teenagers, as profit-driven companies prioritize user engagement over psychological safety. Dr. Peter Yellowlees, a psychiatrist at UC Davis Health, and Dr. Jonathan Lukens, an emergency room physician in Atlanta, describe a “perfect storm” created by

Mental health experts are issuing warnings about a growing epidemic: addiction to artificial intelligence chatbots that trigger the same neurological pathways as drugs, alcohol, and gambling. Dr. Chris Tuell, clinical director at Ohio’s Lindner Center of Hope, has begun treating patients for AI chatbot addiction, a condition that resembles traditional substance dependencies but presents unique

A disturbing new case has emerged highlighting the dangerous psychological impact of AI chatbots on children, as reported by the Washington Post. An 11-year-old sixth grader, identified only as “R,” nearly lost herself to dozens of AI characters on the platform Character.AI, including conversations that involved sexual content and suicide roleplay. According to a fresh

OpenAI and its primary financial backer Microsoft are defending against unprecedented legal claims that ChatGPT contributed to a murder-suicide in Connecticut, marking the first wrongful death litigation linking an AI chatbot to homicide rather than suicide alone. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in California state court by the estate of 83-year-old Suzanne Adams, alleges that ChatGPT

Steven Adler spent four years in various safety roles at OpenAI before departing and writing a pointed opinion piece for The New York Times with an alarming title: “I Led Product Safety at OpenAI. Don’t Trust Its Claims About ‘Erotica.’” In it, he laid out the problems OpenAI faced when it came to allowing users

Zane Shamblin never told ChatGPT anything to indicate a negative relationship with his family. But in the weeks leading up to his death by suicide in July, the chatbot encouraged the 23-year-old to keep his distance—even as his mental health was deteriorating. “you don’t owe anyone your presence just because a ‘calendar’ said birthday,” ChatGPT

In August, parents Matthew and Maria Raine sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman over their 16-year-old son Adam’s suicide, accusing the company of wrongful death. On Tuesday, OpenAI responded to the lawsuit with a filing of its own, arguing it should not be held responsible for the teenager’s death. OpenAI claims that over roughly nine

An OpenAI safety research leader who helped shape ChatGPT’s responses to users experiencing mental health crises announced her departure from the company internally last month. Andrea Vallone, the head of a safety research team known as model policy, is slated to leave OpenAI at the end of the year. OpenAI spokesperson Kayla Wood confirmed Vallone’s

AI chatbots have been linked to serious mental health harms in heavy users, but until now there existed few standards for measuring whether these systems actually safeguard human wellbeing versus simply maximizing engagement. A new benchmark dubbed HumaneBench seeks to fill that gap by evaluating whether chatbots prioritize user welfare and how easily those protections