A.I. Is About to Solve Loneliness. That's a Problem

A.I. Is About to Solve Loneliness. That’s a Problem | The New Yorker

The discomfort of loneliness shapes us in ways we don’t recognize—and we may not like what we become without it.

newyorker.com

TL;DR

A.I. chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude are inching closer to being realistic companions—and for people stuck in genuine isolation, that could be a game-changer. Psychologist Paul Bloom argues that artificial empathy might even outshine real-world pals, especially when loneliness is rampant (so much so that the U.S., U.K., and Japan have appointed ministers for it) and proven to damage our health worse than obesity or smoking.

But here’s the catch: loneliness isn’t just bad vibes—it’s a crucial alarm bell that pushes us to work on real human bonds. Drowning out that signal with souped-up algorithms may soothe the ache but risks stripping away the very drive that teaches us empathy, community and what it really means to connect.