Recent reports on generative AI chatbot use raise concerns about its addictive potential. An in-depth understanding is imperative to minimize risks, yet AI chatbot addiction remains poorly understood. This study examines how to characterize AI chatbot addiction--why users become addicted, the symptoms commonly reported, and the distinct types it comprises. We conducted a thematic analysis of Reddit entries (n=334) across 14 subreddits where users narrated their experiences with addictive AI chatbot use, followed by an exploratory data analysis. We found: (1) users' dependence tied to the "AI Genie" phenomenon--users can get exactly anything they want with minimal effort--and marked by symptoms that align with addiction literature, (2) three distinct addiction types: Escapist Roleplay, Pseudosocial Companion, and Epistemic Rabbit Hole, (3) sexual content involved in multiple cases, and (4) recovery strategies' perceived helpfulness differ between addiction types. Our work lays empirical groundwork to inform future strategies for prevention, diagnosis, and intervention.

翻译：近期关于生成式AI聊天机器人使用的报告引发了对其成瘾潜力的担忧。为最小化风险，亟需深入理解该现象，然而目前对AI聊天机器人成瘾的认识仍十分有限。本研究探讨了如何界定AI聊天机器人成瘾的特征——用户为何成瘾、常见症状表现及其包含的独特类型。我们对14个Reddit子版块中的334条用户叙述其成瘾性使用AI聊天机器人经历的帖子进行了主题分析，并开展了探索性数据分析。研究发现：（1）用户的依赖性源于“AI精灵”现象——用户能以最小努力获得任何想要的事物——并表现出与成瘾研究文献相符的症状；（2）存在三种明显的成瘾类型：逃避型角色扮演、伪社交伴侣与认知性兔子洞；（3）多起案例涉及色情内容；（4）不同成瘾类型对康复策略的感知有效性存在差异。本研究为未来预防、诊断和干预策略的制定提供了实证基础。