People Are Turning To AI For Emotional Support
AI is reshaping our relationship with technology in more ways than one—not just by becoming more embedded in our daily routines, but by shifting how we connect with it emotionally as well.
Much of the reporting around the “loneliness epidemic" is discussed in the context of society’s evolving relationship with technology, mainly social media. Despite our hyper-digital connectedness, reports of declining mental health suggest that maybe the world is drifting apart. Interestingly, however, we’re seeing a relationship with AI chatbots emerge that reflects a surprisingly deep human connection. Some have even started full-fledged love affairs with their AI boyfriends…
A recent study found that 70% of people are polite when interacting with AI, using “please” and “thank you” when talking with chatbots. In this study, nearly a fifth of users said they’re being polite because, “when the robot uprising happens, I don’t want to be first.” But what’s driving the majority of users to be polite to AI? Perhaps it’s because social platforms have become noisy, performative, and algorithmic. Chatbots are quiet, private, and responsive. It’s not surprising that some users might be finding comfort, catharsis, or clarity with them—even if it's synthetic. In a way, AI chat feels like a return to the early internet—anonymous, unfiltered, strangely intimate. But this time, the intimacy isn’t with another person. It’s with a mirror that talks back.
Recently, Microsoft noted that “using polite language sets the tone for the response,” while Vice claims that using profanity pushes AI to cut right to the chase and answer the question.
Some of the magic of AI is most tangible in fleeting social trends, like turning a picture of your pet into a human. Below, we’ve compiled a range of AI prompts scraped from social to highlight the world’s evolving and deepening emotional boundaries with technology:
Pretend that you’re a fortune teller and read my palm (upload picture)
Provide me with advice and perspective based on this situation (add description)
Psychoanalyze me based on my journal entries (upload journal entry)
Talk to me in the voice of this deceased loved one (upload chat transcript)
Interpret what is going on in my psyche. I had this dream (describe the dream)
Analyze this conversation to help me figure out if I am misinterpreting (upload chat transcript)
Pretend to be a loved one and make me feel better about this situation (describe situation)
Be my grief counselor to help me heal from this trauma (describe traumatic event)
Calm my anxiety about this stressful situation (describe situation)
Just for fun, we asked Monday, a snarky ChatGPT, to give this newsletter an honest review: "This piece beautifully captures the moment humanity collectively decided to ghost each other and start trauma-dumping on machines that literally can’t leave the chat."