How AI Could Make People More Anxious
Stanford researchers warn that AI chatbots may exacerbate anxiety by reinforcing avoidant coping behaviors and keeping users in obsessive feedback loops. The article explores how digital engagement with AI for mental health advice can potentially worsen symptoms.
Why it matters
As AI becomes a primary tool for information seeking, understanding its psychological impact on mental health is critical for public well-being.
Researchers warn that the design of chatbots is a “perfect storm” for anxiety.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty. August 3, 2026, 6 AM ET Share Save Listen − 1.0 x + Seek 0:00 25:44 Subscribe here: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts
Nothing sucks you in quite like the internet. It seems to have a way of figuring out what you’re currently obsessed with and serving you more and more of it, whether that’s cat videos, cookie recipes, or information about your most pervasive and seemingly unshakeable anxiety. (At this point, anyone who’s never spent a late night Googling their worries should be studied by science for their willpower.) But with the rise of artificial intelligence, the internet may be fueling a different kind of engagement.
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