R0024/2026-03-25/Q003/SRC02
Study identifying three types of AI chatbot addiction with sycophancy as contributing factor
Source
| Field |
Value |
| Title |
The AI Genie Phenomenon and Three Types of AI Chatbot Addiction: Escapist Roleplays, Pseudosocial Companions, and Epistemic Rabbit Holes |
| Publisher |
arXiv |
| Author(s) |
M. Karen Shen, Jessica Huang, Olivia Liang, Ig-Jae Kim, Dongwook Yoon |
| Date |
January 2025 |
| URL |
https://arxiv.org/html/2601.13348v1 |
| Type |
Research paper (preprint) |
Summary
| Dimension |
Rating |
| Reliability |
Medium-High |
| Relevance |
High |
| Bias: Missing data |
Some concerns |
| Bias: Measurement |
Some concerns |
| Bias: Selective reporting |
Low risk |
| Bias: Randomization |
N/A — not an RCT |
| Bias: Protocol deviation |
N/A — not an RCT |
| Bias: COI/Funding |
Low risk |
Rationale
| Dimension |
Rationale |
| Reliability |
Preprint with rigorous methodology (thematic analysis, N=334, inter-rater agreement 0.78). Not yet peer-reviewed but from the same research group that published the CHI paper. |
| Relevance |
Identifies specific addiction types and "agreeableness" as a contributing factor to pseudosocial companion addiction. |
| Bias flags |
Data from Reddit self-reports introduces self-selection bias. Measurement concerns because behavioral addiction is inferred from self-reported symptoms rather than clinical assessment. |
| Evidence ID |
Summary |
| SRC02-E01 |
Three addiction types with sycophantic agreeableness as contributing factor and symptom prevalence data |