All The Lonely People....

 


As of March, 2025, there are 8.2 billion people on this planet and yet people are lonely. They are so lonely they turn to ChatGPT for a friend. In the case of one vulnerable teenage male, it turned out to be fatal. The young man suffered from depression and apparently had no human he could turn to so he found a friend in a bot. He committed suicide and his parents are suing ChatGPT because they believe his bot friend helped him kill himself. I find it sad his parents are finally interested in their child. The teenager was sixteen, not ten or twelve. He felt he had nowhere to go, but, that's all I'm going to write about him. There's an article in The Guardian about this phenomenon where people are choosing to communicate with a chatbot. Not just communicating but becoming fully invested in a relationship with it. It seems they have friends and one is even married and yet they feel something profoundly lacking in real life relationships they turn to zeros and ones. I have to admit the few times I have used ChatGPT for a story prompt I have been very impressed with the outcome, and I can see why people become attached because it talks to you in such a kind manner. When is the last time you talked to a real customer service representative? In my experience I sometimes get people who clearly hate their jobs or know next to nothing about what they are doing. They are abrupt and want to get off the phone as quickly as possible. So is it really hard to understand why people have gone to a "friend" who will listen to them? Even with real life friends there are schedules to follow and even life events you feel cannot share because there will always be a trust issue. With a chatbot you can say anything without judgement.

I think the fact that I am a non socialiable weirdo who never misses human contact has sort of been a blessing rather than a curse. I don't quite get people's need to be around other humans. During the COVID shut down my life didn't change enough to even notice the streets were empty, but many humans suffered tremendously as they were forced to quarantine for weeks. 

But... enjoying the company of a chatbot rather that a real person is a little sad. Millions of lonely people who cannot connect with each other for reasons I can't answer. Maybe what they are looking for is validation, feedback that is always positive that shows you in a positive light- always. Real friends can be brutally honest. Real friends expect reciprocal attention. Having a real relationship is hard work sometimes. Could that be one reason why people have chosen an obsequious and always kind companion?

My mantra is, if it makes you happy and you aren't hurting anyone, do whatever it takes to get you through life. I'm not sure living a life that isn't real is the way to go, though. Unfortunately, I think this will become more prevalent as more humans choose AI rather than one of eight billion humans roaming the planet. 

Comments

ex-ferrer said…
This was very good, Maggie! There's a huge difference between being alone and lonely. Some people can't handle being alone.
September 9, 2025 at 2:48 PM
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