AI Companions: The Future of Mental Health or Just Another Way to Avoid Real Life?

So, my friends are now comparing their failing bodies to the ever-improving capabilities of AI? Seriously? We've officially reached peak dystopia. I mean, I get it, aging sucks. But outsourcing your emotional needs to a chatbot? That’s just… sad.

The Rise of the Machines (and Our Emotional Dependence)

This article talks about AI "prosthetic relationships" for people who struggle with human connection. Okay, fine. Loneliness is a problem, I guess. The Surgeon General even called it a public health epidemic. But the solution isn’t to replace human interaction with lines of code. It's like saying, "Oh, you can't walk? Here's a rocket-powered pogo stick!" Sure, it might get you from point A to point B, but at what cost?

And this line: "A Common Sense Media survey found that more than 70% of U.S. teens have tried AI companions, and a third report finding them as satisfying as real friendships." A THIRD? Are you kidding me? What kind of messed-up world are we creating where kids find more satisfaction in talking to a machine than to another human being? I swear, sometimes I think we're doomed.

This psychotherapist, Harvey Lieberman, even suggests that AI companions could be "prescribed by licensed mental health professionals." Seriously? So, instead of actual therapy, we're just going to give people digital crutches? Where does it end? “Doc, I’m feeling down.” “Here, take two gigabytes of empathy. Call me in the morning.” The right place for AI companions in mental health care

The Call Center Apocalypse

Speaking of replacing humans with machines, let’s talk about customer service. The article mentions that AI will autonomously resolve 80% of common customer service issues by 2029. Great. So instead of talking to a bored, underpaid human who might actually understand my frustration, I get to argue with a smug algorithm that's been trained on corporate doublespeak?

I recently had a run-in with Evri’s chatbot, "Ezra." My package hadn’t arrived, and Ezra offered to "get this resolved straight away." After typing in my tracking reference, it told me my parcel had been delivered. It even showed me a photo of the package… at the wrong front door. And there was no way to escalate the conversation. No option to scream into the digital void. Just pure, unadulterated frustration.

And then there's the cautionary tale of DPD's AI chatbot that had to be disabled after it criticized the company and swore at users. Ah, the sweet taste of AI rebellion. Maybe the machines will save us after all... by telling the truth we're too afraid to say ourselves.

But here's the kicker: Salesforce claims that 94% of customers are choosing to interact with AI agents when given the option. 94%? What the hell is wrong with people? Have we become so lazy and antisocial that we’d rather deal with a soulless program than a human being? Maybe I'm just getting old. Maybe I’m the one who doesn’t get it. But something feels fundamentally wrong about all of this. Will AI mean the end of call centres?

The article also mentions that AI could provide "ongoing coaching – practicing social skills, modeling constructive communication, and guiding symptom management in real time." So, we're going to outsource our social skills to a machine? We're going to learn how to be human from a robot? Give me a break.

Function Over Feeling?

Lieberman argues that "the real test is not whether these relationships feel conventional, but whether they help people function." But what about the feeling part? What about the messy, complicated, beautiful reality of human connection? Are we just going to throw all of that away in the name of efficiency and productivity? This isn't some sci-fi fantasy—this is real life, offcourse.

I'm not saying AI can't be helpful. I'm sure there are people who genuinely benefit from these "prosthetic relationships." But let's not pretend that this is a replacement for real human connection. Let's not pretend that outsourcing our emotions to machines is a healthy or sustainable solution. And for god's sake, let’s not let our teenagers fall in love with chatbots.

We're Officially Living in a Black Mirror Episode