Artificial intelligence and meaning in life: a systematic literature review of psychological mechanisms

The rapid proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has prompted a growing body of empirical research on its psychological consequences, yet this literature remains fragmented across disciplines and has not been systematically synthesized. No published systematic review has mapped these findings through the lens of meaning in life, leaving a critical gap in the evidence base for researchers, clinicians, and platform designers. This PRISMA-compliant systematic review searched Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO using a three-block Boolean strategy. Following screening of 274 records, 20 peer-reviewed studies met full inclusion criteria. Three research questions addressed the scope of the literature, the psychological mechanisms operating within it, and the extent to which AI functions as a risk or protective factor for meaning in life. Findings documented a rapidly emerging field concentrated in East Asian contexts, with publication output increasing tenfold between 2024 and 2026. Across 63 coded findings and 28 identified mechanisms, outcomes were determined by whether human generativity, autonomy, and cognitive agency were preserved or displaced, as a pattern designated here as existential outsourcing. No single study tested the complete AI to mechanism to meaning in life causal chain, representing the field’s most critical empirical gap and primary contribution of this review.