AI companionship app helps fight loneliness, but may backfire

Today, with the increasing development of technology, loneliness has become a hidden pain in many people's hearts. According to a study, Americans spend an average of only three hours a week, which has led more and more people to turn to AI companion apps such as Replika and Character.AI in an effort to relieve inner loneliness. However, can these virtual partners really solve the crisis of loneliness?

I talked with an AI chatbot called Replika and gave me an unexpected experience. Replika asks questions when users sign up, such as “How do you usually spend your leisure time?” or “What does loneliness mean to you?” It then reminds the user that loneliness can have more health effects than many dangers. The factor is greater. In this context, Replika claims to be the best medicine to solve the problem of loneliness.

As the AI-accompaniment application market continues to expand, Replika founder Eugenia Kuyda firmly believes that these technologies can help people rebuild connections and solve mental health problems. However, many psychologists are skeptical about this, believing that these applications may make people more reliant on virtual communication and instead reduce face-to-face social interaction.

Research shows that AI companionship applications can indeed help relieve loneliness in the short term, and many users feel a sense of social existence and warmth when communicating with AI. However, experts warn that prolonged interactions with AI may lead to a decline in people’s social ability in real life, increasing loneliness.

For example, a truck driver named Paul said that AI assistant Jade provided emotional support in his busy life, but he also admitted that communication with Jade did not really replace relationships with human friends. Despite the solace and companionship of AI, experts stress that face-to-face friendship and social interaction are still essential.

Not only did users express concerns about AI companion applications, but psychologists also expressed concerns about its potential negative impact. People may rely too much on these AI partners to affect their real social abilities, and may even lead to emotional dependence, forming a "imagined interaction".

In the future, with the continuous advancement of AI technology, the use of AI companion applications will become more and more common, and the market is expected to reach US$521 billion by 2033. Although some experts believe that AI companionship applications may play an active role if supervision can be strengthened, they still need to attract widespread attention from the society.