WASHINGTON : A new study conducted by OpenAI in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab reveals that most ChatGPT users rely on it for practical purposes.

The study, which analyzed nearly 40 million ChatGPT interactions, showed that users rarely seek sympathy or emotional support from AI, with their interactions focused on exchanging information and facts.

The research team used two studies with different approaches to people’s interactions with ChatGPT. OpenAI conducted a large-scale, automated analysis of millions of ChatGPT interactions without human involvement to ensure user privacy.

In contrast, the MIT Media Lab conducted an experiment involving approximately 1,000 participants, testing the benefits of voice and text interaction.

The study divided users into different groups; some used text only, others experimented with voice interaction with AI characters, one designed to be more emotional, while the other remained neutral.

Conversations included personal topics about memories, practical questions about finances, and general discussions.

The data revealed that text-based interaction users displayed more emotional cues in their conversations than others, but those who relied heavily on Advanced Voice Mode developed a stronger emotional connection to ChatGPT, with some considering it as a “friend.” The effects of the voice feature varied, with short interactions improving users’ moods, while extended daily use sometimes had the opposite effect.

The study indicated that personal conversations were associated with higher levels of loneliness but lower emotional dependence, while impersonal conversations showed a different pattern, with emotional dependence levels increasing with heavy use.