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'ChatGPT is toxic': Woman opens up about emotional dependency on AI, says she had to delete it

'ChatGPT is toxic': Woman opens up about emotional dependency on AI, says she had to delete it

Mint10 hours ago
A LinkedIn post by Flipkart's marketing professional Simrann M Bhambani has gone viral for its refreshingly raw take on the hidden emotional side of AI interaction. Her confession? She became emotionally dependent on ChatGPT and had to delete it to reclaim her mental space.
What started as innocent curiosity quickly spiralled into something deeper. In her post titled 'ChatGPT is TOXIC! (for me),' Simrann describes how she turned to the AI chatbot not just for ideas or productivity- but for emotional support.
'I started sharing every inconvenience, every spiral, every passing emotion with ChatGPT,' she wrote. Despite having 'amazing friends,' the comfort of a non-judgmental, always-available AI made it feel like a digital therapist.
But that emotional safety net soon turned into a digital crutch.
'It stopped being clarity and became noise.'
Simrann said she found herself overthinking more, feeding every passing 'what if' to the AI, and pouring energy into something that wasn't real. In a bold move of self-awareness, she deleted ChatGPT from her devices entirely.
'Technology isn't the problem. It's how quietly it replaces real reflection that makes it dangerous.'
Her post has resonated with thousands, sparking a larger conversation around emotional outsourcing in the age of AI.
Simrann's honesty has hit a nerve, especially in a time when productivity tools often double as emotional sounding boards.
In the comments, users are divided. Some praised her self-awareness, calling her decision 'brave and necessary.'
A user wrote, 'I think AI to the world is both a boon and a bane. And excess of anything is bad! Relying on software emotionally without even realising should be stopped! Everybody should be conscious of what they speak about to these chatbots. Being reliant upon ChatGPT, etc, will eventually bring down their emotional quotient as they will be prone to non-judgmental and always agreeable responses.'
Another user wrote, 'Thanks, I was planning to do this. Now that you called it out, I would reconsider.'
'For me, ChatGPT agrees with anything and everything. It's like a people pleaser. No wonder people get hooked to it. New kind of brainrot,' the third user commented.
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