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The increase in the utilization of artificial intelligence systems has resulted in a corresponding rise in health issues.

According to a study published by the American Psychological Association, workers who frequently use artificial intelligence systems are more likely to suffer from loneliness, which can contribute to insomnia and increased after-work drinking.

The researchers conducted four trials in the United States, Taiwan, Indonesia and Malaysia. The findings were consistent across cultures. The study was published online in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

In his earlier career, lead researcher Pok Man Tang, PhD, worked at an investment bank where he used artificial intelligence systems, which led to his interest in studying a timely problem. including potentially damaging mental and physical effects on employees,” said Tang, an assistant professor of management at the University of Georgia.

“Humans are social animals, and isolating AI systems can have harmful ripple effects on employees’ personal lives.” At the same time, working with artificial intelligence systems can have some advantages. The researchers found that employees who frequently used AI systems were more likely to offer help to their coworkers, but this response may have been due to their loneliness and need for social contact.

In addition, the studies found that participants with higher levels of attachment anxiety—the tendency to feel insecure and anxious about social connections—responded more strongly to working with AI systems, both with positive reactions, such as helping others, and with negative reactions, such as loneliness. and insomnia.

In one experiment, 166 engineers at a Taiwanese biomedical company who worked on artificial intelligence systems were surveyed for three weeks about their feelings of loneliness, attachment anxiety, and sense of belonging. Coworkers rated individual participants on their helpful behaviors, and family members reported on participants’ insomnia and after-work alcohol use. Employees who interacted more often with AI systems were more likely to experience loneliness, insomnia, and increased alcohol consumption after work, but they also showed helpful behavior toward coworkers.

In another experiment with 126 real estate consultants at an Indonesian real estate company, half were told not to use AI systems for three consecutive days, while the other half were told to work with AI systems as much as possible. The results of the latter group were similar to the previous experiment, except that there was no relationship between the frequency of AI use and the consumption of alcohol after work.

Similar findings were made in an online experiment with 214 full-time working adults in the United States and another with 294 employees at a Malaysian technology company. The research results are correlational and do not prove that working with artificial intelligence systems causes loneliness or other reactions. Tang said AI technology developers should consider equipping AI systems with social features, such as the human voice, to mimic human-like interactions. Employers could also limit the frequency of working with AI systems and provide opportunities for employees to socialize. Team decision-making and other tasks where social connections are important could be done by humans, while AI systems could focus more on boring and repetitive tasks, Tang “Mindfulness programs and other positive interventions can also help alleviate loneliness,” Tang said.

“Artificial intelligence continues to expand, so we need to act now to reduce potential adverse effects on the people who work with these systems.”