We're inviting adults who use AI tools regularly to take part in an online questionnaire. There are no right or wrong answers, and we never ask for your name, email or phone number.

You'll sign in with a Google account to answer. This is only so each person takes part once, which keeps the results reliable. Your email is never recorded with your answers. Instead, you'll be given a random participant ID, and that ID, not your email, is how you can view your feedback summary.

At the end, you can choose to receive a personal feedback summary: a short reflection on your responses, which you can view on this site using your participant ID.

AI became part of everyday life almost overnight. This study asks why it comes to matter more to some people than to others.

It does not assume AI use is harmful, and it does not treat frequent use as a problem in itself.

What's involved

• Online
• Anonymous
• About 20 minutes
• Five parts

1. About you and your AI use. Basic details, and how and why you use AI.
2. Early life experiences. Your childhood before 18, including household difficulties, abuse or neglect. You can skip any question, or the whole section.
3. Understanding yourself and others. How you make sense of thoughts and feelings, your own and other people's.
4. Connection and belonging. Your sense of closeness to, or distance from, other people.
5. Your AI use patterns. How AI fits into your thinking and daily life.

Your safety and privacy

• Anonymous. We never ask for your name, email or phone number. You sign in with a Google account only so that each person takes part once, and your email is not recorded with your answers, which are linked only to a random participant ID. How your information is handled
• You're in control. Skip any question, and stop at any point by closing the page. If you change your mind after submitting, write to us with your participant ID and we'll remove your response, as long as the data has not yet been analysed.
• If it's difficult. Some questions touch on painful memories or feelings. Support is listed at the bottom of every page, and you can stop whenever you need to.

Write to the study at study@whyweturntoai.in

Before you begin

The questionnaire takes about 20 minutes. Find a time and a private place where you won't be rushed. While you're signed in, your answers are saved as you go, so you can take a short break if you need one.

The questionnaire will ask you to sign in with a Google account. This is not to collect your details: it only makes sure each person takes part once, which keeps the results reliable. Your email address is not recorded with your answers, and the research team never sees it. Your answers are linked only to the participant ID below, which is also how you view your feedback summary.

You can stop whenever you need to. Support is listed at the bottom of this page.

After you finish

You'll see a list of support resources. If you chose to receive a feedback summary, you can view it on the Your summary page within a few minutes of finishing.

Enter your participant ID to view your summary.

This summary is a gentle reflection on the responses you shared. It shows only one part of a bigger picture, and it is not a diagnosis. Take your time with it.

Lost your ID? We can't look it up, because the study doesn't know who you are. This protects your privacy.

Preview: enter DEMO-2026 to see a sample summary.

This study asks about personal things, so here is exactly what happens to your information.

What the questionnaire collects

Your answers, and a random participant ID. It never asks for your name, email address, phone number or where you live.

The questionnaire runs on Google Forms. To prevent duplicate responses, you'll be asked to sign in with a Google account, and each account can take part once. Your email address is not recorded with your answers, and the research team never sees it. Your answers are linked only to your random participant ID, which is also the only way to view your feedback summary.

Google processes the responses on its servers under its own privacy terms. Like any online service, Google may log technical details such as your IP address. These are not shared with the research team, and we never see or record your IP address.

What this website collects

• No cookies.
• No analytics, advertising or tracking tools. We use ads to invite people to the study. If you clicked one, the ad platform knows you clicked, as with any ad. But nothing on this site reports back to Meta, Google or any advertiser.
• Everything the site needs, including its typeface, is served from this site itself. Nothing loads from other companies' servers.
• Like every website, our host, Netlify, keeps basic technical logs of visits, including IP addresses, to keep the site running and secure. We don't use these to identify anyone.
• Your participant ID is kept in your browser only while this tab is open, so it doesn't change if you reload the page. It isn't sent anywhere until you enter it into the questionnaire.

Who can see your responses

Only the researcher and her supervisor. Responses are stored in a password-protected account with encryption. Findings are reported only as group patterns, and no individual will ever be identifiable.

Your feedback summary

Your summary can only be opened with your participant ID. Anyone who has your ID can view it, so keep it to yourself.

How long data is kept

Data is stored securely for five years after publication, then deleted. Before that, a fully anonymised version may be shared in open research repositories so other researchers can check and build on the work.

Withdrawing

You can stop at any point while answering by closing the page. If you change your mind after submitting, write to us with your participant ID and we'll remove your response, as long as the data has not yet been analysed.

Questions

Write to the study at study@whyweturntoai.in. For concerns about how the study is conducted, contact the Chairperson of the Institutional Ethics Committee (Behavioural Sciences), NIMHANS, at [contact].

Last updated 18 October 2026.

Title of the study: A Cross-Sectional Study Mapping the Developmental and Relational Pathway of Problematic GenAI Use
For adults aged 18 to 35

1. What is the purpose of this study?

Conversational AI such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini is rapidly becoming part of our daily lives, and it has dramatically changed the way we interact with the technology available to us. While people are widely using it for practical tasks and ease of life, there is a potential other side to it, which carries a risk of losing our original capacities, relationships and sense of self. This study therefore aims to understand why and how certain individuals develop deeper connections with conversational AI. Specifically, the research is interested in examining whether:

1. Early life experiences (such as adverse childhood experiences)
2. Psychological capacities (such as the ability to understand one's own and others' emotions and thoughts)
3. Emotional experiences (such as feelings of loneliness or disconnection)

might be related to patterns of AI use that could become problematic or interfere with daily life. This research is being conducted as part of an MPhil dissertation in Clinical Psychology, and aims to contribute to our understanding of human-AI relationships from a psychological and developmental perspective.

2. Why am I being invited?

You have been invited because you are:

• between the ages of 18 and 35, and living in India
• using generative AI platforms for at least 3 months
• using conversational AI at least three times a week
• comfortable reading and responding in English

3. Do I have to take part?

No. Participation is entirely voluntary. You can choose whether or not to take part. If you decide to participate, you will be asked to give your consent at the beginning of the questionnaire. You are also free to withdraw at any point during the study without giving a reason and without any negative consequences.

4. What will happen if I take part?

If you agree to participate, you will be asked to complete an online survey that will take approximately 20 minutes. The survey includes the following sections:

Section A: About you

• Basic demographic information (age, gender, education, occupation)
• Questions about your AI use (which platforms you use, how long you've been using them, how often, and for what purposes)

Section B: Early life experiences

• Questions about experiences you may have had during childhood (before age 18), such as household challenges, abuse or neglect
• These questions are based on standard measures used in psychological research

Section C: Psychological and relational capacities

• Questions about how you understand your own and others' thoughts and feelings
• Questions about how you experience relationships and boundaries with others

Section D: Emotional experiences

• Questions about feelings of loneliness or belonging
• Questions about your social connections and emotional experience

Section E: AI use patterns

• Questions about your engagement with conversational AI, including whether you experience any difficulties controlling or managing your use

There are no right or wrong answers. We are interested in your honest experiences of using conversational AI.

5. What investigations or treatments will be conducted in this study?

None. Taking part only involves completing the online questionnaire. No tests, investigations or treatments are involved.

6. Will I benefit from this study?

There may be no direct personal benefit to you. However, by reflecting on your own experiences through the survey questions, you may gain personal insight into your relationship with technology and your emotional wellbeing. More importantly, your participation will contribute to the advancement of research in the fields of trauma, digital behaviour and psychological development in general.

7. What are the risks of taking part? What if something goes wrong?

The risks associated with participation are minimal. However, some questions ask about difficult or sensitive topics, such as adverse childhood experiences or feelings of loneliness. Reflecting on these experiences may cause mild emotional discomfort for some participants.

If you experience any emotional discomfort during any phase of participation, support and, if required, referrals are available, and you are free to stop taking part at any time.

8. How will my confidentiality be protected?

Your participation and responses will be kept strictly confidential and anonymous.

• No personally identifiable information (such as your name, email address, phone number or IP address) will be shared with anybody else.
• Your survey responses are stored on a secure, password-protected platform with encryption.
• Only the research team (the principal investigator and faculty supervisor) will have access to the anonymised data.
• All data will be reported in aggregate form only (group averages, patterns and trends). Individual responses will never be identifiable in any publication or presentation.

9. What if I don't want to participate, or I want to withdraw later?

Your participation in this research is entirely voluntary. If you don't want to participate at any stage, you are free not to. If you decide to participate, you are free to stop and withdraw from the study at any time. There will be no penalty or negative consequences for choosing not to participate or for withdrawing from the study.

10. What happens to the data collected and the results?

Data will be stored securely for a minimum of 5 years following publication, in accordance with institutional and journal requirements. All data will be kept anonymised and coded at each stage of the research. Anonymised data may be shared with other researchers via open-access repositories to support scientific transparency, but no personally identifiable information will ever be shared.

The findings of this study will be submitted as part of an MPhil dissertation in Clinical Psychology, submitted for publication in peer-reviewed academic journals, presented at academic conferences and seminars, and shared via open-access platforms to promote scientific transparency and accessibility.

11. Who is organising the research?

I am Riya Kuriakose, MPhil Scholar in the Department of Clinical Psychology, NIMHANS. I am doing research examining how early life experiences and psychological factors may relate to problematic patterns of conversational AI use among adults. This study is under the guidance of Dr. Nitin Anand, Professor of Clinical Psychology, NIMHANS.

I would like to invite you to take part in my study. Since it is important that you understand why the research is being conducted and what it will involve, please take enough time to read this information carefully, and feel free to contact the researcher if anything is unclear or if you would like more information.

12. Who has reviewed this study?

This study has been reviewed and approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) at NIMHANS, ensuring that it meets ethical standards for research involving human participants.

13. Whom should I contact for more information?

For any questions about the study or your participation:

• Researcher: Riya Kuriakose, MPhil Clinical Psychology Scholar, Department of Clinical Psychology, NIMHANS. Email: study@whyweturntoai.in
• Faculty supervisor: Dr. Nitin Anand, Professor of Clinical Psychology, NIMHANS. Email: [institutional email]

14. For concerns about the ethical conduct of the study

If you have concerns or complaints about how this study is being conducted, you may contact the Chairperson, Institutional Ethics Committee, NIMHANS. Email: [email]. Phone: [phone].

If you experience distress during or after completing the survey, please:

• take a break or stop the survey at any time
• reach out for support to the SHUT Clinic or NIMHANS OPD, listed below and at the end of the survey
• contact the researcher if you have concerns or wish to discuss your experience

If you are experiencing distress or need to speak with someone, the following resources are available:

• Tele MANAS: 14416, free, 24 hours
• NIMHANS Helpline: [number]
• SHUT Clinic, NIMHANS: [contact]

If you are interested in learning about the study findings, you may:

• read a plain-language summary of the key findings, with links to the published journal articles, on the Findings page of this website once the study is complete
• contact the researcher after the study is complete to request a summary of results
• look for published articles using the study title or the researcher's name

15. What happens next if I decide to participate?

1. Read this information sheet carefully.
2. Ask any questions you may have by contacting the researcher.
3. Go to the consent question at the beginning of the survey.
4. Select "Yes, I agree" if you agree to participate.
5. Complete the survey at your own pace. You may take breaks if needed.