Greater Generative AI Use Tied to More Depressive Symptoms

FRIDAY, Jan. 30, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Greater use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is associated with modestly but statistically significantly greater depressive symptoms, according to a study published online Jan. 21 in JAMA Network Open.

Roy H. Perlis, M.D., from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues examined whether greater levels of generative AI use by U.S. adults was associated with greater levels of depressive symptoms. The analysis included survey responses from 20,847 participants.

The researchers found that 10.3 percent of respondents reported using AI at least daily, including 5.3 percent who reported use multiple times per day. Daily or more frequent AI use was significantly more common among men, younger adults, those with higher education and income, and those living in urban settings. When adjusting for sociodemographic factors, greater AI use was associated with greater levels of depressive symptoms (daily use: β = 1.08; multiple times per day: β = 0.86) versus nonuse. Greater AI use was also associated with a greater likelihood of reporting at least moderate depressive symptoms (odds ratio, 1.29). Similar patterns were seen for anxiety and irritability. The highest levels of depressive symptoms were seen among individuals using AI for personal use (β = 0.31) and those aged 25 to 44 years (β = 1.22) or 45 to 64 years (β = 1.38).

“There is little prior literature for comparison,” the authors write. “This emerging picture is consistent with previous observations regarding social media use.”

Abstract/Full Text