A colloquial expression, without clinical recognition, describing a state of disorientation, dependency, or distortion of reality associated with the intensive and prolonged use of conversational AI systems. It is not a medical diagnosis, but rather a cultural label circulating in media and social networks to point out the negative psychological effects that some people attribute to excessive interaction with chatbots and generative assistants.
The phenomenon is concerning because conversational AIs are fluent, persuasive, and always available, which can reinforce misconceptions or create unhealthy emotional bonds. Among the effects commonly associated with it are:
- Difficulty distinguishing reliable information from fabricated responses (hallucinations).
- Constant validation that feeds back into delusional beliefs or social isolation.
- Excessive delegation of one's own judgment to the model.
An important nuance is necessary: most of these cases reflect pre-existing vulnerabilities rather than an effect directly caused by AI. The term is useful for opening the debate on responsible design and healthy use, but it should be used with caution and without scientific pretense.