Dr Jennifer Cearns highlights risks of AI companionship for young people
Social Anthropology lecturer Jennifer Cearns has shared expert insight with BBC News North West as part of a report exploring why increasing numbers of young people are turning to AI chatbots for companionship amid a growing 鈥淕en Z loneliness crisis鈥�.
, Lecturer in AI Trust in the Department of Social Anthropology, contributed analysis on why young people are developing a reliance on AI chatbots and the potential harms associated with this trend.
The features voices from young people across the North West, alongside youth workers and academics, drawing on new survey data showing that 21% of young people in the region find it easier to talk to AI than to another person.
Dr Cearns highlighted why AI chatbots can be particularly appealing to young users, describing them as 鈥渃ompelling, personable, and never irritable or jealous or manipulative 鈥� at least in theory.鈥� Unlike human relationships, she explained, AI systems are always available and never push back unless explicitly instructed to do so.
Concerns were raised about the potential long-term impact of extensive interactions with AI systems that do not challenge harmful ideas or behaviours. If these technologies fail to address issues such as misogyny or hate speech during critical developmental stages, there is a risk that such attitudes could later influence how individuals relate to other people.
Her comments draw directly on her wider research into human鈥揂I relationships, intimacy and trust. This includes her latest research on AI intimacy, empathy and emotional development, as well as publications exploring
Dr Cearns鈥� expertise has previously informed national discussions on the social impact of AI, including University of Manchester research on emotional attachment to AI companions and the risks of uncritical trust in emerging technologies.
This body of work highlights the University of Manchester鈥檚 influence on public understanding of artificial intelligence, particularly in areas of social wellbeing, ethics, and trust. It demonstrates the importance of human-centred approaches as AI becomes increasingly integrated into sensitive aspects of daily life.
Read the full BBC News article, 鈥樷�淚 spoke to ChatGPT eight times a day鈥�: Gen Z鈥檚 loneliness crisis鈥� on the .