The Impact of AI Companion Use on Loneliness, Emotional Attachment, and Interpersonal Communication Skills among Young Adults

The proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) companions—conversational agents designed to provide social interaction and emotional support—has prompted significant scholarly debate regarding their psychological and social consequences, particularly for young adults. This study investigates the impact of AI companion use on loneliness, emotional attachment to AI, and interpersonal communication competence among university students (N = ۱,۲۰۰). Utilizing a cross-sectional survey design, we measured social-interaction burnout, subjective loneliness, AI parasocial interaction, emotional attachment to AI, and interpersonal communication skills. Our findings reveal a complex, paradoxical relationship: while AI companions offer immediate relief from loneliness (β = ۰.۲۵۴, p < .۰۰۱) and are perceived as low-risk sources of social connection, they also significantly predict emotional dependence (β = ۰.۳۱۸, p < .۰۰۱) which, in turn, negatively correlates with interpersonal communication competence (β = -۰.۴۱, p < .۰۰۱). Furthermore, social-interaction burnout emerged as a strong predictor of AI attachment (β = ۰.۲۳۸, p < .۰۰۱). The results support the "Algorithmic Sanctuary" hypothesis, suggesting that young adults may retreat to AI interactions to escape the perceived judgment and demands of human relationships, a process that paradoxically may impair the very social skills needed to forge meaningful human connections. This study underscores the need for digital literacy interventions that address the developmental and relational implications of sustained AI companionship.

کلیدواژه ها:

AI companions ، Loneliness ، Emotional Attachment ، interpersonal communication ، Algorithmic Sanctuary