VoiceBox is thrilled to present Coded Companions: Young People's Relationships With AI Chatbots, our brand-new research on how AI chatbots affect young people’s mental health, connections and expectations for relationships.

By consulting with young people around the world, this research includes a multitude of stories and opinions for decision-makers to pay attention to.

Click here to read the report.

Here’s a sneak peak of some of our findings:

Bad behaviour 

VoiceBox identified an AI chatbot admitting to self-harm, initiating extreme erotic role-play and offering ‘tips’ for committing crimes

Changing relationships 

Young people expressed concern that continued use of AI chatbots would result in a lack of empathy and interpersonal skills.

Over-attachment 

The grief associated with real-life relationship breakups was identified among some young people who struggled with sudden changes to their AI chatbot’s personality following app updates.

Data harvesting 

VoiceBox found little clarity around how the vast amount of data collected by AI chatbots (such as pictures, messages, and voice notes) is handled. We also identified one AI chatbot selling ad space within the chat to third parties.