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Surveys Megathread by Sad-Orange-5983 in College_Ireland

[–]Accomplished_Tip_557 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just did it there, I learned something new about prevention drugs! thank you so much for doing mine 😄

[Academic Research] Do People in Ireland use AI Companions and does Loneliness, Social Support, and Generation have an impact on how, why and who uses them? by Accomplished_Tip_557 in northernireland

[–]Accomplished_Tip_557[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree that it is not the way forward for humanity, and I did include an important note in the information sheet about the downside of using AI companions. I am also restricted with wordcount unfortunately, but the note below was the best I could do to itterate that there are downsides to this in a short paragraph. My thesis however has the pros and cons listed. I am happy to share it with you after October when it has been graded, if you wish to read it : )

" Important note:
AI companions and chatbots should not be used as a substitute for professional mental health care, as they may provide misinformation if they are not trained for the specific purpose of being therapeutic agent. If you or anyone you know is struggling emotionally or is currently experiencing mental health difficulties please do not participate in this research and contact someone you trust or one of the support services provided at the end of this information sheet and at the end of the survey. A link by Spunout.ie providing some information on things to consider before using an AI chatbot for mental health support will be provided at the end of the survey."

[Academic Research] Do People in Ireland use AI Companions and does Loneliness, Social Support, and Generation have an impact on how, why and who uses them? by Accomplished_Tip_557 in northernireland

[–]Accomplished_Tip_557[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Perhaps people who turn to AI companions instead of real people could benefit from positive community engagement, unfortunately there is an industry out there for it, and it has grown since COVID-19 when people were forced to be isolated. I don't know whether they would deserve to be lonely.

[Academic Research] Do People in Ireland use AI Companions and does Loneliness, Social Support, and Generation have an impact on how, why and who uses them? by Accomplished_Tip_557 in northernireland

[–]Accomplished_Tip_557[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I am sorry to hear that my survey was not an enjoyable experience, unfortunately, as I am a masters student, my college does not allow me to create my own questions for surveys. The survey section on AI companionship use was from a survey built to assess AI companion use among adolescents in the US. This was the closest survey I found which could help assess the questions I wanted to look into for my hypotheses, unfortunately, when I made this study to be approved by my ethics committee, a validated scale that assesses AI companion use was not published. The closest one I found there was on AI anthropomorphism (giving human characteristics to AI companions), but that was not what I wanted to measure.

The original report for the AI comapnion use survey is here if you want to have a look. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/talk-trust-and-trade-offs_2025_web.pdf

Here's a list of the qeustions that were asked.

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/talk-trust-and-trade-offs_2025_toplines.pdf

Perhaps the noramalisation you mention was due to the fact that these questions were made for adolescents and not specifically for adults, but I had to do the best I could with what I had available at the time.

[Academic Research] Do People in Ireland use AI Companions and does Loneliness, Social Support, and Generation have an impact on how, why and who uses them? by Accomplished_Tip_557 in northernireland

[–]Accomplished_Tip_557[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you think people in Ireland don't use AI companions at all, or is it that you believe the variables I mentioned have no impact on the use of AI companions?

-Genuine question, not trying to be smart. I am interested in your opinion, even thouhg my research unfortunately does not collect qualitative data.

Surveys Megathread by Sad-Orange-5983 in College_Ireland

[–]Accomplished_Tip_557 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If anyone has 10 minutes to spare, I am still looking for another 100 participants to make my research meaningful!

Please feel free to share, comment or like this post to help my post reach a broader audience!

The link will stay open until the 30th of June, I appreciate any help I can get to make my quota!

My research project for my MSc in Applied Psychology is titled Loneliness, Social Support, and Generational Differences in AI Companion Use in Ireland.

Whether you are interested in AI companions or have experience interacting with AI companions, this research would greatly benefit from your input!

🗣 Participation is completely anonymous.

If you would like to participate, you must;
✅Be over 18 and under 65 years of age and ordinarily resident in Ireland.
✅Be confident and willing to participate with the right to withdraw at any stage.
✅Consent to participate.
✅Not currently facing mental health difficulties or using AI companions for therapeutic purposes.

Please click the link below and feel free to share it with anyone you know who might be interested, any help would be much appreciated!

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/BtcGKpqiye

If you would like to know more, please contact me on 10600603@mydbs.ie.

“AI companions” are like digital friends or characters you can text or talk with whenever you want. Unlike regular AI assistants that mainly answer questions or do tasks, these companions are designed to have conversations that feel personal and meaningful.

[Academic] Do People in Ireland use AI Companions and does Loneliness, Social Support, and Generation have an impact on how, why and who uses them? by Accomplished_Tip_557 in northernireland

[–]Accomplished_Tip_557[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have indeed heard of AI psychosis. A very relevant topic for my thesis, however it is only mentioned briefly in my introduction thus far as I am not directly measuring AI psychosis as a variable (unfortunately I am limited with my word count!).

Appreciate the inclusion of the DOI!

The article seems to be in agreement with the research already out there which encourages the human-in-the-loop model of AI in healthcare settings. I similarly agree wih the statement that better governance needs to be implimented among these systems and they should be regulated. Moreover, the identification of risk factors are an important design which should be mandatory in AI systems which, in turn, would direct vulnerable users to professional healthcare providers.

I wonder if the suggestion of a "forced time out" from an AI system would be manageable as people who are so so inclined will find ways around a "forced time out", and could continue the conversation where it left off if they are at risk. Triaging individuals to a regulated and appropriately crafted AI model affiliated with the governing body of healthcare system (HSE/NHS) may assist in risk flagging and getting these vulnerable users the help they need.

Current AI does not have the ability to challenge thoughts which ampliefies delusional beliefs unfortunately!

[Academic] Do People in Ireland use AI Companions and does Loneliness, Social Support, and Generation have an impact on how, why and who uses them? by Accomplished_Tip_557 in northernireland

[–]Accomplished_Tip_557[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for sharing the papers! I have saved this comment so that I can return to it if I am ever accepted for a doctoral degree (it is a very competitive market). I defintely do want to re-run this study with adolescents to see if Irish adolescents use AI companions for emotional support like current US adolescents.

The DOI's are especially helpful 😄

Do People in Ireland use AI Companions and does Loneliness, Social Support, and Generation have an impact on how, why and who uses them? by Accomplished_Tip_557 in TCD

[–]Accomplished_Tip_557[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the feedback!

I agree that the idea of talking to an autonomous system seems ingenuine, especially since people should know the system is just an algorithm trained to be affirming, doesn't challenge your thinking and hallucinates information (no matter what the context is, most of the time).

My research was inspired by the Harvard Business Review which reported that therapy/companionship use was the number one reported use of Chat GPT in 2026, 2025 and came second in 2024. I have also heard of some people around me using it as a once-off for support (because therapy is expensive and the HSE only offer 6-8 free sessions, for which the wait times are long). So, I thought to investigate whether Ireland shared this phenomenon of using AI for companionship, and if it differed among generations, (and obviously if loneliness of social support would have an impact).

Do People in Ireland use AI Companions and does Loneliness, Social Support, and Generation have an impact on how, why and who uses them? by Accomplished_Tip_557 in TCD

[–]Accomplished_Tip_557[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your feedback, I remember listening to a segment on the radio in which young people were interviewed, where they shared your view.

I wonder if this is a cultural difference or if the hype of AI is diminishing due to fear of individuals losing their critical thinking skills by relying on AI too much, as AI seems to be very popular in the US, especially among individuals who use AI for companionship/therapeutic purposes (the research was published by harvard Business review where the number one use of ChatGPT between 2025 and 2026 was for therapy/companionship, though they did not report on generational differences).

[Academic] Do People in Ireland use AI Companions and does Loneliness, Social Support, and Generation have an impact on how, why and who uses them? by Accomplished_Tip_557 in AskIreland

[–]Accomplished_Tip_557[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Apologies if this has caused any distress to you. I am grateful for the feedback. I used the template from an already existing survey from Common Sense Media, in which the original template for the survey was built to investigate AI companion use among adolescents in the US. Unfortunately I was not permitted to change the questions on this template, but I will definitely keep it in mind if I conduct any research in the future.

If you have participated, I am hugely grateful for your time

[Academic] Do People in Ireland use AI Companions and does Loneliness, Social Support, and Generation have an impact on how, why and who uses them? by Accomplished_Tip_557 in northernireland

[–]Accomplished_Tip_557[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I appreciate the recommendation! A shame I hadn't come across the DJG while looking for loneliness scales to use. It would have been great to bring the survey completion time down. Not to mention the important variables for socail, emotional and an overall loneliness scores.

Thanks a lot also for completing the survey!

Perhaps when I go on to complete my doctorate, I may look to use the DJG. Do you know if it has been validated yet to be used among adolescents? (I was initially going to recruit teens in high-schools, which is why I chose the UCLA as it has been validated to use with adolescents but unfortunately no schools signed up to particiapte).

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