Companion chatbots offer a potential solution to the growing epidemic of loneliness, but their impact on users' psychosocial well-being remains poorly understood. This study presents a large-scale survey (n = 404) of regular users of companion chatbots, investigating the relationship between chatbot usage and loneliness. We develop a model explaining approximately 50% of variance in loneliness; while usage does not directly predict loneliness, we identify factors including neuroticism, social network size, and problematic use. We identify seven distinct clusters of users, from socially fulfilled dependent users to lonely moderate users. Different usage patterns can lead to markedly different outcomes, with some users experiencing enhanced social confidence while others risk further isolation. Our work contributes to the ongoing dialogue about the role of AI in social and emotional support, offering insights for developing more targeted and ethical approaches to AI companionship that complement rather than replace human connections.

翻译：陪伴型聊天机器人有望为日益严重的孤独感问题提供解决方案，但其对用户心理社会福祉的影响仍不甚明了。本研究对陪伴型聊天机器人的常规用户进行了大规模调查（n = 404），探究了聊天机器人使用与孤独感之间的关系。我们构建了一个能解释约50%孤独感方差的模型；虽然使用行为本身不能直接预测孤独感，但我们识别出了包括神经质、社交网络规模及问题性使用在内的相关因素。我们识别出七个不同的用户集群，从社交满足的依赖型用户到孤独的中度使用者。不同的使用模式可能导致显著不同的结果，部分用户体验到社交信心的提升，而另一些用户则面临进一步孤立的风险。本研究为关于人工智能在社会与情感支持中角色的持续对话作出了贡献，为开发更具针对性、更符合伦理且旨在补充而非取代人际连接的AI陪伴方法提供了见解。