Study finds AI chatbots can offer emotional support better than humans in some cases
Researchers from the universities of Manchester and Durham report that generative artificial intelligence messages were rated as more supportive than human replies for anger and fear scenarios.
Young people seek AI advice
A 2025 survey in the United States asked 1,058 participants aged 12 to 21 about their use of generative artificial intelligence. Thirteen percent of respondents said they turned to these tools for help when feeling sad, angry, or nervous. The percentage rose to 22 percent among those between 18 and 21 years old.
Experiments compare message sources
Scientists ran five tests where 390 people read responses written by humans or large language models without knowing the source. Participants imagined situations involving anger, sadness, or fear before rating how supportive each message felt. The group preferred the artificial intelligence replies when dealing with anger or fear but saw no clear difference for sadness.
AI improves certain emotions
The research team noted that messages from large language models helped improve some negative feelings in their participants. Human-written replies may seem like the obvious choice for support, yet the data showed otherwise in specific contexts. These findings suggest that using chatbots for emotional health is already common among young people.
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