Frequently asked questions

It is not a formal diagnosis. The American Psychiatric Association lists internet gaming disorder as a condition for further study, and the WHO’s ICD-11 includes gaming disorder. Neither covers AI chatbots. Doctors and researchers do describe patterns of heavy, hard-to-control AI use, and the research is early. Comparing it to gaming disorder is an analogy, not a settled finding.

What matters in practice is not the label. It is whether your use is getting in the way of sleep, work, school, health or relationships, and whether you can cut back when you want to.

Three, loosely:

• Companion and emotional attachment: feeling close to a character or companion on apps such as Character.AI, Replika or Chai, and missing it when it changes or goes away.
• Reliance for work or thinking: reaching for ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini for decisions and tasks you used to do yourself, and feeling stuck without it.
• General heavy use: checking AI many times a day, losing track of time, or using it late at night.

These are plain descriptions, not clinical categories. Many people recognize more than one.

People describe things like these. None of them proves anything alone.

• Losing track of time, or staying up later than you meant to
• Checking AI first thing in the morning
• Finding it hard to stop once you start, or failing to cut back
• Feeling anxious or irritable when it is not available
• Turning to it for comfort and feeling more understood by it than by people
• Pulling back from friends, family or activities
• Hiding or downplaying how much you use it
• Work, school or sleep suffering

The assessment asks about habits like these, and sorts your answers into three bands.

No. Nothing here asks you to. The aim is to understand your own use and decide what you want it to be. Many people keep using AI for work or fun and change when, how often, or for what.

That is common, and it does not make what you feel less real. It can help to start with your own picture: what you use it for, what it gives you, and what it costs you. The assessment and the platform guides can give you words for that conversation.

Feeling attached to something that talks back is a human response, not a character flaw. Our pages are written without judgment. You do not have to tell anyone you took the assessment, and we do not ask for your name.

Yes. There is no charge, no card, and no trial. We ask for your email address because your result is sent by email. After your result, you get a short series of follow-up emails, and every email has a one-click unsubscribe link. Paid guides are sold separately on Gumroad and are never required.

There are two versions. The full assessment has 20 questions and takes about 4 minutes. The short check has 7 questions and takes about 2 minutes. Both ask about time, habits, mood, sleep and relationships. Your answers add up to a total, and the total falls in one of three bands. Your result goes to your email. It is not shown on screen. The full explanation, including its limits, is on the methodology page.

It is a self-reflection tool, not a test. It has not been validated as a clinical instrument, it relies on how you describe yourself on one day, and it cannot diagnose anything. The cut points that sort your total into bands were set by us and are not based on clinical data. See how the assessment is built for what it can and cannot show.

We keep your email address, your total score, your result band, the date, and a record of what you agreed to. We do not keep your answers to individual questions, and we do not store your IP address. We do not sell your information. You can unsubscribe with one button and ask us to delete your data at any time. If you used the old version of this site, those records are kept in a private archive, are never used for email or marketing, and are deleted if you ask. Details, including how long we keep things, are in the Privacy Policy.

We collect very little, but we cannot promise confidentiality. Your result arrives by email, and email can be read by anyone with access to your inbox or device. The subject line does not show your result, but the body does. Use an address only you can read. See HIPAA and your information for practical tips.

Check your spam, junk and promotions folders, and wait a few minutes. The email is usually sent within about a minute, and our system tries again if the first attempt fails. If it still has not arrived, use the “Send it again” link on the confirmation panel or write to info@theaiaddictioncenter.com. Please check the address you typed.

Yes. One address can be used up to three times a day. We keep only your most recent result.

No. The assessment is for adults, 18 and over. If you are worried about a teenager’s use of AI, our pages for parents explain warning signs and how to start a conversation. If you are under 18 and worried about yourself, talk to a parent, carer or another adult you trust. Crisis lines are on the Medical Disclaimer.

Yes. We have guides for several companion apps. The assessment itself is not specific to one app. It asks about your habits, so it applies to any AI platform.

The assessment applies to them too. Heavy use of work-focused AI tools can look different from companion attachment, and the guides on this site describe both.

• A free assessment
• Guides to specific apps and to common situations
• Pages for parents and partners
• A news and research archive
• Paid digital guides, sold on Gumroad: the AI Detox Blueprint, the Parent Conversation Kit, a bundle of the two, and the CAIDAS PDF

An independent business that does not name its writers. We explain how the site is funded and how to check our work on the About page, editorial standards and corrections.

Yes, for workplaces in the USA. AI Addiction Center trainers deliver workshops on healthy AI use (international travel is possible). See corporate wellness or write to us. We do not provide counseling. Counselors who want to be listed on this site can apply on the page on finding a counselor.

We cannot give a reliable number, and we do not want to promise one. It varies a lot between people. A short, structured week can be a useful start, which is what our 7-day guide is built around, but one week is not a cure. If you try to cut back and cannot, that is a good reason to talk to a professional.

It can, if it crowds out sleep, focus or responsibilities. The assessment asks about this. We do not have a reliable figure for how much time people lose, so we do not give one.

We are not aware of proven prevention methods. People often find these helpful: setting limits you choose, keeping the phone out of the bedroom, keeping up friendships and offline interests, and noticing when you reach for AI to avoid a feeling. These are common-sense habits, not tested treatments.

People who feel lonely, anxious or low may spend more time with AI companions. Research is early and mostly shows association, not cause. A 2025 study by the MIT Media Lab and OpenAI of nearly 1,000 people linked heavier daily use with more loneliness and dependence. It describes a link, not a proven cause. If low mood or anxiety is affecting your daily life, please see a doctor or licensed mental health professional.

No. This site does not provide counseling or therapy, and we cannot diagnose or treat anyone. If you want to talk to someone, the Medical Disclaimer lists crisis lines and ways to find a provider, and our page on finding a counselor explains what to look for. Counselors can apply there to be listed on this site.