Loneliness and Insomnia Linked to Work With AI Systems

People frequently working with artificial intelligence (AI) can be lonely, which can lead to insomnia and increased after-work drinking, a new study found.

The research was published online June 12 in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

Researchers noted these findings establish correlations and don’t prove that working with AI systems causes loneliness or other responses, just that they are associated. The study, conducted across different cultures in the United States, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Malaysia, consisted of four experiments. The findings were consistent across cultures.

“The rapid advancement in AI systems is sparking a new industrial revolution that is reshaping the workplace with many benefits but also some uncharted dangers, including potentially damaging mental and physical impacts for employees,” said lead researcher Pok Man Tang, an assistant professor of management at the University of Georgia.

“Humans are social animals, and isolating work with AI systems may have damaging spillover effects into employees’ personal lives.”

However, working with AI systems may have some positive aspects. The researchers found that employees who frequently used AI systems were more likely to offer help to their colleagues, but this response may be triggered by their loneliness and the need for social interaction.

The researchers also found that participants with high levels of attachment anxiety, which is the tendency to feel insecure and worried about social connections, reported working with AI systems made them more likely to help others. They also suffered from loneliness and insomnia.

In one experiment, 166 engineers at a Taiwanese biomedical company working with AI systems were asked about their feelings of loneliness, attachment anxiety, and sense of belonging over three weeks. Coworkers rated each individual on their helpful behaviors, while family members reported on their insomnia and after-work alcohol consumption. The results showed that employees who interacted more frequently with AI systems were more likely to experience loneliness, insomnia, and increased after-work alcohol consumption. However, they also showed helping behaviors toward their coworkers.

In another experiment with 126 real estate consultants in an Indonesian property management company, half were told not to use AI systems for three consecutive days, while the others were encouraged to work with AI systems as much as possible. The findings for people who worked with AI were similar to the previous experiment, except there was no association between the frequency of AI use and after-work alcohol consumption.

There were similar findings from an online experiment with 214 full-time workers in the United States and another 294 employees at a Malaysian tech company.

Tang suggested that developers of AI technology should consider equipping AI systems with social features, such as a human voice, to emulate human-like interactions. Employers can also limit the frequency of work with AI systems and offer opportunities for employees to socialize.

“Mindfulness programs and other positive interventions also might help relieve loneliness,” Tang said. “AI will keep expanding, so we need to act now to lessen the potentially damaging effects for people who work with these systems.”

Meanwhile, a recent report from the U.S. surgeon general, “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation,” found that loneliness is something as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Loneliness is more than just a bad feeling. It harms individual and societal health, according to the report. It’s associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death. The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to smoking up to 15 cigarettes per day and is even greater than obesity and physical inactivity.

Large population studies have documented that among initially healthy people tracked over time, those who are more socially connected live longer, while those who experience social deficits, including isolation, loneliness, and poor-quality relationships, are more likely to die earlier, regardless of the cause of death, according to the report.

“Each of us can start now, in our own lives, by strengthening our connections and relationships. Our individual relationships are an untapped resource—a source of healing hiding in plain sight. They can help us live healthier, more productive, and more fulfilled lives. Answer that phone call from a friend. Make time to share a meal. Listen without the distraction of your phone. Perform an act of service. Express yourself authentically. The keys to human connection are simple but extraordinarily powerful,” Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy wrote.

Beth Brelje contributed to this report.