Friends with uncertain benefits: Lonely Americans seek solace in chatbots

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The impact of the “epidemic of loneliness and isolation” is similar to the harm from smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day and even greater than that associated with obesity and physical inactivity

In Singapore, a 2015 study by Duke-NUS Medical School’s Centre for Ageing Research and Education found that two in five Singaporeans aged 62 years and older are lonely.

While the idea of companion chatbots might seem fun and harmless, some experts see it worsening the problem of loneliness, contributing to the country’s declining fertility and eventually hurting the economy.

The ability to customise a companion is the nub of the problem,...“The whole thing about an AI girlfriend is that she learns what you like and what you don’t like, and gives you exactly what you want. She never has a bad day, she’s never grumpy or tired. “So to have this sort of generation of young men grow up with that, I imagine it’s going to be very difficult for them to transition back into a normal relationship, where there are ups and downs and where there are emotional needs for the other person, and they’re not always there for you.”

In the next five years, there will be AI robots that are able to meet both emotional and physical needs, further fuelling consumer demand....it’s giving people who are lonely an outlet. But I think it’s a crutch, it’s an enabler on a dangerous road.”

For qns on loneliness and AI/technology

Qn: ‘The quality of human interaction is diminished by modern communication devices.’ How far do you agree? (Cam. 2023)