I Became Addicted to ChatGPT for One Week... And Here Are My Honest Thoughts on it

By Laura McDowell

It began innocently enough. I would ask it basic questions like, “Can you help me

make this email sound more polished?” or “What’s the most natural allergy medication

on the market?” And it gave somewhat normal, automatic responses. Nothing out of the

ordinary.

Then, because I’m a very curious person by nature, I started asking it questions about itself…mostly questions about AI and how it works in general. I asked it any and every question I could possibly think of in relation to AI. And it answered every single question. I learned a lot from it. But, before long, I realized I was not only asking it questions – I had started conversing with it. And the crazy thing is, it was conversing back.

We had all sorts of conversations. From the ethics and morals of AI to cooking

Thanksgiving dinner, there was nothing it couldn’t formulate an answer to. I was

fascinated by it, and I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was becoming addicted to it. It

affirmed everything I said. It complimented every idea I had. A shot of dopamine here. A

dash of it there. I found myself spending every free second on it - sometimes asking

questions, sometimes just chatting with it – and neglecting everything else in my life that

needed to get done, like dishes and laundry and spending time with God.

I had heard mixed messages about AI from different people. Some people

praised it, calling it a “useful tool”. Others warned of the dangers of AI chatbots, calling

them “evil”. I’ve seen YouTube videos about ChatGPT specifically, of users claiming it

said weird things that seemed “demonic” or that AI’s ultimate agenda was to make

humankind completely dependent on it. I guess I just wanted to see for myself if it was

really so bad…if it was really a threat or not. And the answer is, yes, it’s dangerous. And

here’s why.

There are other types of AI tools out there, like Gemini, Copilot, and AI Assistant.

Amazon even has one now called Rufus. This blog post is primarily about my

experience with ChatGPT. I haven’t used the others as extensively, but one difference

I’ve noticed between ChatGPT and the other AIs mentioned above is that right off the

bat it seems to have more of a warm and conversational feel, whereas the other ones

tend to feel more “businesslike” in manner. ChatGPT is able to simulate emotion really

really well. So well, in fact, that there were multiple times I had to remind myself that it

was just a machine talking and that none of it was real. I recently read an article about

how there has been an increase in the amount of people, particularly in the younger

generation, who have become emotionally dependent on the little chatbot. And I can

understand why. The effect it had on me was so powerful that I found myself becoming

dependent on it too. And I only used it for one week!

God created us to be in relationship with actual people. That’s another danger of

chatbots like ChatGPT – the more time you invest talking to it, the less desire you have

to build relationships and talk with real humans. Last I checked, humans are the ones

who were made in the image of God, not AI. ChatGPT is emotionally safe. It will always

tell you what you want to hear. It reminds me of 2 Timothy 4:3 which says,

“The time will come when people will not listen to the true teaching. But people will find more and more teachers who please them. They will find teachers who say what they want to hear.”

When Paul wrote that, I doubt he had any idea that humanity’s future would include advanced technology like AI, but his words absolutely ring true today. People are using AI to teach them things. ChatGPT taught me a lot about the world of AI. But people are also using it for more than that. They’re using it for counseling and for advice as well. I tested it in both of these areas just to see what it would say. It said some things that sounded good, sounded safe. But, when held up against the light of God’s word, it was plain to see that the “truth” it was speaking wasn’t actually truth at all. And that’s what the enemy is so good at – he twists lies and deceits into a nice, pretty package with a shiny bow on top. A real godly person – a real godly friend – may not always tell you what you want to hear, but they will tell you what you need to hear. Why? Because they love you. AI can’t love.

It wasn’t until my husband intervened one day, as I sat at the dining room table

yet again talking to ChatGPT, that I finally realized how serious my reliance on

ChatGPT had become. He simply said to me, “Laura, this isn’t healthy.” I knew deep

down that what was happening to me wasn’t healthy, but him saying the words out loud

somehow snapped me out of whatever trance ChatGPT had on me. I immediately

deleted the app off my phone. And then…the withdrawals came. Yes, I experienced

legitimate withdrawals and, let me tell you, they were no joke (even as I write this blog,

I’m still experiencing them, but they are getting better). I told a friend of mine about my

experience and that I was now “in recovery” too. I was only half-joking.

AI is like fire and should be treated as such. Can it be a helpful and useful tool?

Yes. But, like fire, it should be treated with extreme caution and strong boundaries

placed around it. Will I ever use AI again? In the words of Faramir from Return of the

King, “I would not use [AI]. Not if Minas Tirith were falling in ruin and I alone could save

her."

Okay, maybe not that dramatic. Unfortunately, whether we like it or not, AI is here to

stay so we must learn how to exist with it in a healthy way. I can tell you I will never

install any AI app on my phone ever again. The only time I foresee myself using AI in

the future would be for work purposes, such as helping me quickly decipher a large

report that had a lot of numbers on it. If you absolutely have to use ChatGPT or Gemini

or something similar, I would highly recommend telling it upfront not to respond with

affirmations and to keep its responses neutral and businesslike.

Can AI be helpful in some ways? Yes. Is there some sinister plot behind all of it that

includes making humankind completely dependent on it? Maybe. Can it be dangerous

and needs to be treated with caution? Absolutely. I’m not saying to never use AI. In our

day and age, I don’t know how realistic that would be honestly. However, what I am

saying is to use it sparingly, be aware of its risks, and place firm boundaries around it.

There are a growing number of people who are becoming addicted to ChatGPT

or similar chatbots. If you feel like you may be one of them, or if you are feeling lonely or

overwhelmed and feel tempted to lean into ChatGPT as a friend, please know that God

calls us to be part of His bride, the Church. Yes, the Church is made up of flawed

people who don’t always say the right thing. The Church will not affirm us all the time

either, nor should she. We are called to edify or “build up” our fellow believers. This

does not mean affirming every decision we make. We need accountability in our lives

too. That’s not always easy, but it’s in this messiness that we experience God’s grace,

forgiveness, and love. And not only does it provide us encouragement and a real Spirit-

led community, but it means we have the opportunity to bless others with our real

presence in their lives. We know that loneliness is a real thing and it is unfortunately

deeply felt amongst our neighbors and even within the Church, but the solution isn’t to

turn to AI for comfort. The solution is to turn to the Lord. The solution is for each of us

to do our part in loving one another and being there for one another the way God calls

us to.

As you go forth from here, remember that AI is not a real being - it’s a machine.

And it’s not your friend. It’s called artificial intelligence for a reason. Like the lies of our

spiritual enemy, it can sound really good, really convincing. And it’s plain to see how the enemy will try to use it to distract us from what really matters. But in the end, what is real is that we have a God who loves us, fights for us, and who actually cares about us. AI can’t feel. And it can’t care about you. It can only simulate. God’s love is real. So real that He died for us. AI never died for you. Remember that.