Millions of people using AI chatbots as virtual companions risk replacing real relationships with "social snacks"—quick emotional fixes that lack the ingredients for long-term emotional wellbeing, according to new research. The Stanford University study found that individuals more willing to share highly personal information with AI companions, including emotional distress, substance misuse, and suicidal thoughts, were more likely to report feeling worse. Professor Diyi Yang, who led the research, said: "While some people turn to chatbots to fulfil social needs, we find that using chatbots in this way doesn't substitute for human connection. In many cases, people actually feel more lonely engaging with AI." The scientists noted that "Chatbots cannot reciprocally share personal information the way human beings can and may not be able to recognise and respond appropriately to emotionally freighted conversations. At the same time they are deliberately engineered to keep the interaction going no matter what." The study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, analysed more than 1,100 users of Character.AI, one of the world's most popular AI companion platforms. Although fewer than 12 per cent in