In this week's AIX Files:AI dependency is more widespread and problematic than you think. It’s pernicious, not always easy-to-detect effects are likely to spread further and become more problematic as the technology gets more powerful, more intuitive, and we entrust more of our lives, particularly our thought processes, to it. 

In a recent Bloomberg article titled, “Addicted to ChatGPT? Here’s How to Reclaim Your Brain,” users confess a growing reliance on generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude—not as assistants or genius-level interns, but as virtual co-equals they fully entrust to make important decisions, orchestrate their work, manage their calendars, organize their thoughts, even mediate their emotions. The upsides are numerous and may ultimately outweigh the downsides, but make no mistake, there are downsides, particularly as we develop a dependence on these tools bordering on - and sometimes crossing over into - addiction. 

On the AIX Factor podcast, Ryan Carrier, FHCA Carrier, Executive Director of ForHumanity, spoke about the invisible hand of social media - the “nudges, deceptive design, and dark patterns” that guide our behavior without our full awareness. Digital addictions are not new, but AI addiction is different in degree and kind. To begin with, AI doesn’t just influence our choices, it makes them for us. Unlike social media, which demands our constant attention, generative AI offers the illusion of offloading our cognitive load; the more it helps, the more we hand over. 

The Bloomberg article cites a 2025 study by Dutch management consultancy BearingPoint that found young employees use AI tools far more than senior managers, often because they’re still developing an “internal compass.” The study suggests that this growing dependence on AI could make young professionals unsure of their own judgment, struggle with self-confidence, and develop impostor syndrome. 

The lead column in today's AIX Files discusses two new studies and several recent articles that address the topic of addictive AI, and concludes with thoughts on good AI habits and “hygiene” (a burden shared by AI product developers, management in their policies on responsible use, and individual users). Check it out!
https://aixfiles.substack.com/p/the-invisible-hand-of-ai-addiction