People rely too much on ChatGPT. Sam Altman admits that putting too much trust in the tool is a daily occurrence

In the second half of July, Sam Altman participated in a conference organized by the Federal Reserve Bank. During his speech, he talked about the problem of using chatbots and how people are growing addicted to them. According to Altman, OpenAI is trying to understand where the idea of entrusting one's life decisions to AI came from.

OpenAI CEO draws attention to chatbot addiction

Issues of AI usage are already researched by scientists. Reports have emerged about cases of psychosis and users losing touch with reality. Some believed that they had created a sentient artificial intelligence or had become messiahs. At the same time, studies have shown that over-reliance on AI makes us dumber.

Sam Altman also commented on this matter, revealing that OpenAI is looking into the issue, as it heavily concerns young people:

At first, it may sound like the CEO of OpenAI really worries about ChatGPT's influence on people's lives. People, however, took notice of his ending statement, sensing marketing aimed at investors regarding AI.

Internet users see marketing in Sam Altman's words

Near the end of his speech, Sam Altman says "Even if ChatGPT gives great advice, even if ChatGPT gives better advice than any human therapist." He wraps up by claiming he believes putting too much trust into AI is dangerous.

On the r/ChatGPT subreddit, users pointed out it sounds like he's marketing his own service. By seeming to express concern, Sam Altman may be trying to show he's a responsible businessman, making investors more willing to invest into OpenAI.

On the other hand, he's also saying that their tool is incredibly popular among young people, especially when combining his statements about young people being unable to function without ChatGPT and about the chatbot giving better advice than a human therapist.

Teenagers divided in trust towards AI

The impact of artificial intelligence on young people is still being studied. In mid-July, Common Sense Media published the results of the study Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions. It was conducted on 1,060 American teenagers from various age groups and focused on so-called "AI Companions", not standard chatbots.

According to the results, about 72% of teenagers have spoken to this type of chatbot at least once, and 52% are regular users, of which 13% use them every day. They do this for various reasons - 30% did it for entertainment, 28% are curious about new technologies, and 18% needed advice. The rarest response (6%) was loneliness.

Source: Common Sense Media; 2025

Results according to how trustworthy teenagers find these "AI Companions" are interesting as well. 50% of surveyed teenagers don't trust what the chatbots say, or trust them only a little bit. 27% trust them partially, while 23% trust them mostly or entirely. This means trust towards chatbots is equally split, with many young people aware that AI is prone to misinformation.

• tech
• AI / Artificial Intelligence
• chatbots / ChatGPT