Students are using AI for loneliness and mental health. Universities are not sure what to do about it.

HEPI's 2026 survey found 15 per cent of UK undergraduates are using AI for companionship, advice or to address loneliness. A systematic review published last year found AI chatbots reduced anxiety and depression symptoms in eight of nine studies. The evidence is promising and the ethical questions are unresolved.

By Wistl Newsroom · 12 May 2026 · At Home

HEPI's Student Generative AI Survey 2026 found that approximately 15 per cent of UK undergraduates reported using AI for companionship, advice or to address loneliness. The figure sits alongside a finding that 20 per cent of students felt AI made them feel lonelier, almost exactly balanced by the 21 per cent who felt it made them feel less lonely. The survey's authors described this as evidence of a polarised AI landscape, in which the same technology is producing meaningfully different experiences for different students. The clinical evidence on AI chatbots and student mental health is more e