Frequent use of artificial intelligence systems at work can lead to employee loneliness, potentially causing insomnia and increased after-work drinking, according to a cross-cultural study published by the American Psychological Association.
“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 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.
In one experiment, 166 engineers at a Taiwanese biomedical company who worked with AI systems were surveyed over three weeks about their feelings of loneliness, attachment anxiety and sense of belonging. Coworkers rated individual participants on their helpful behaviors, and family members reported on participants’ insomnia and after-work alcohol consumption.
The research findings are correlational and don’t prove that work with AI systems causes loneliness or the other responses, just that there is an association among them.