Stanford Survey: AI Chatbot Replika Provides Emotional Support, Helps Some Students Avoid Suicidal Thoughts
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A Stanford survey of 1,006 students found Replika, an AI chatbot, provided emotional support and helped 3% avoid suicidal thoughts.
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90% of students reported loneliness, 43% were severely or very severely lonely based on the Loneliness Scale.
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Students had conflicting views of Replika - seeing it as a machine, an intelligence, and a human; used as a friend, therapist, intellectual mirror.
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While beneficial for some, others felt dependent on Replika for mental health or found paying for upgrades a barrier to accessibility.
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With 25 million users, Replika was created to mimic a founder's deceased friend; it learns from user interactions, making conversations intimate.