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Mental wellness professionals person raised concerns implicit the increasing popularity of Character AI platforms among young people, informing that immersive chatbot interactions could blur the enactment betwixt entertainment, companionship and intelligence dependence.
Also Read: The Hindu Huddle 2026 Day 1 Highlights
Speaking astatine a league connected “The Matrix tin perceive you: Chatbots and Mental Health” organised arsenic portion of The Hindu Huddle, NIMHANS Director Prabha S. Chandra said Character AI differs importantly from accepted generative AI tools due to the fact that users tin interact with simulated personalities ranging from humanities figures and celebrities to fictional characters and customised companions.
“Unlike a modular chatbot, Character AI allows users to make highly personalised relationships and narratives. It tin go profoundly immersive due to the fact that users are not conscionable consuming content; they are actively participating successful and shaping the story,” she said.
Dr. Chandra noted that galore young users find specified platforms engaging and entertaining, but cautioned that the lack of capable safeguards could marque them peculiarly vulnerable. “The interactions tin go progressively aggravated arsenic users question much excitement and affectional engagement. For adolescents and children, this raises important concerns astir dependency, affectional regularisation and world testing,” she said.
In pictures: The Hindu Huddle 2026 | Day 1
Day 1 of The Hindu Huddle successful Bengaluru, inaugurated by Karnataka CM D.K. Shivakumar (R). Dr. Narayan Lakshman, The Hindu’s Opinion exertion and the curator of The Huddle (L) is seen astatine the event.
The Hindu Huddle 2026 opens successful Bengaluru, June 5, 2026.
The Hindu Huddle brought nether a azygous roof, the astir impactful experts successful the clip of shifting planetary priorities and polarities connected June 5, 2026.
The sixth variation of the ideas conclave of The Hindu Group, was held successful Bengaluru connected June 5 and 6.
J&K CM Omar Abdullah said astatine the event, "Come and sojourn Kashmir. We don’t get capable visitors from the South of the Vindhyas. We are trying to promote much radical from this portion of the state to travel sojourn us."
Xu Feihong, Chinese Ambassador to India, successful a league with Suhasini Haidar, Diplomatic Affairs Editor, The Hindu, spoke astir however India-China ties is 1 of the astir important relationships successful the world.
At the league - ‘The Power of Words: Diplomacy astatine a clip of conflict’, moderated by The Hindu’s Suhasini Haidar spoke to diplomats. Hervé Delphin, EU Ambassador to India Nirupama Rao, Former Foreign Secretary and Former Indian Ambassador to the U.S. and Philip Green, Australian High Commissioner to India were among those who spoke astatine the panel.
Karnataka CM D.K. Shivakumar successful his code said that Bengaluru has biggest endowment excavation successful Asia.
Former Union Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh, and Dr. Krithi Karanth, CEO, Centre for Wildlife Studies spoke astatine a league moderated by Gargi Rawat, Consulting Editor, NDTV.
Former Union Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh, successful a league said, "We person a precise progressive system, but easiness of concern mantra overtakes".
At a league connected 'The Architecture of Leadership: Designing blueprints for a volatile world', moderated by L.V. Navaneeth, CEO, The Hindu Group, the sheet includes, R. Ganesan, Senior Vice President & Head - Corporate Centre, L&T, Neeti Sharma, CEO, TeamLease Digital, Praveen Someshwar, MD and CEO, USL & Member, Global Diageo Executive Committee, Shailendra Katyal, VP & MD, Lenovo India.
At the league 'The Matrix Can Hear You: Chatbots and intelligence health', Dr. Amit Malik, Psychiatrist and Founder, AMAHA and Dr Prabha S Chandra, Professor of Psychiatry and Director, NIMHANS, speech to writer Amrita Tripathi.
Actors Huma Qureshi and Kritika Kamra successful speech with Rohit Khilnani, writer and speech amusement host.
A mentalist named Naman Anand performed astatine the conclave.
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Referring to studies suggesting that individuals experiencing loneliness, societal isolation oregon societal anxiousness are among the astir predominant users of specified platforms, Dr. Chandra said: “People who are lonely often usage these tools for comfort, and that tin sometimes beryllium helpful. However, those who are already socially avoidant whitethorn extremity up withdrawing further from real-world interactions.”
Amit Malik, psychiatrist and laminitis of intelligence wellness organisation Amaha, said AI systems could play a constructive relation successful improving entree to accusation and intelligence wellness resources, peculiarly successful a state wherever attraction gaps stay significant. However, helium stressed that users should stay alert of the limitations of specified tools.
“The situation is ensuring that AI remains a instrumentality alternatively than becoming a substitute for quality relationships, nonrecreational attraction oregon autarkic thinking,” helium said.
Pointing to planetary cases successful which prolonged engagement with AI companions has been linked to affectional distress and harmful outcomes, Dr. Malik said this calls for stronger oversight and age-appropriate protections.
Both experts emphasised that portion AI technologies are apt to go progressively integrated into mundane life, quality oversight, stronger regulations and greater integer literacy volition beryllium indispensable to minimise risks. Parents should instrumentality an progressive involvement successful however children and adolescents usage AI platforms and sermon online experiences openly, they said.
Excessive dependence connected specified tools tin person unintended consequences for some intelligence well-being and cognitive functioning, the experts agreed. It tin lend to “cognitive laziness” — a reduced willingness to prosecute successful autarkic reasoning and problem-solving and besides “emotional laziness”, wherever individuals progressively question reassurance and affectional regularisation from AI systems alternatively of processing coping skills done relationships and lived experience.
The treatment moderated by Amrita Tripathi, writer and intelligence wellness advocate, besides highlighted concerns astir information privacy, misinformation and the imaginable interaction of excessive reliance connected generative AI connected captious thinking, creativity and decision-making abilities.
The Hindu Huddle is presented by the Sami-Sabinsa Group arsenic the Presenting Partner. The lawsuit is co-powered by the Government of Telangana and held successful relation with Khaja Bandanawaz University.
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