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Abstract
As Americans have begun to experience unprecedented rates of loneliness and social isolation during the 21st century, a new threat to mental health is emerging: artificial intelligence addiction. The following is a series of posts that will dive deeper into how AI chatbots can co-opt and ultimately replace human connection, leading to greater rates of depression and AI-related mental disorders. Drawing on emerging psychiatric research on Generative Artificial Intelligence Disorder (GAID), case studies of people who have suffered from AI-driven psychosis, and neurological findings regarding AI’s impact on cognitive function, these posts will reveal a mental health crisis in the making. Through exploring the loneliness epidemic, the psychology of AI addiction, corporate policies, and potential solutions, this series argues that intervention is necessary to mitigate the risk of technological dependence before societal isolation becomes the new normal.