I was reading an article today and it said over 40 million people now use some kind of AI companion or emotional support app every month. apparently a study found these apps help with loneliness about as well as talking to an actual person does, at least in the short term.
But the thing is that heavy daily use is linked to more isolation the longer people use it. So it kind of works like a painkiller that quietly weakens the thing it's supposed to be fixing. I'm not against these apps, 2 am with nobody around is real, and they do help in that moment. It just feels like we're gonna find out what it actually costs later than we'd want to.
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