Finding a long-lasting partner has always been a challenge, especially in today’s society. With the normalization of hook-up culture, friends with benefits, and casual, non-exclusive dating, it’s hard to form a meaningful relationship that will last for a lifetime. With loneliness among humans increasing and becoming a big issue, people have invented various chatbots to fill the void. To understand if AI partners are the future of digital love, we’ll explore why people are so drawn to AI chatbots and if they can really replace a real human connection.

Male Loneliness Epidemic and Bad Mental Health

You’ve probably heard the term ‘Male Loneliness Epidemic’ thrown around on the Internet and social media for a while. While it can be used to belittle men who annoy you in comment sections, it is genuinely a real problem. Research shows that 15% of men claim they have no close friends, while six in ten men under thirty are single. The Male Loneliness Epidemic has become a big issue, as loneliness and isolation among men often lead to mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Therefore, we should try our hardest to accommodate struggling individuals. Socialization proves to be a challenging experience for most of the male population, and the Internet has significantly helped reduce this problem. For all of you introverts, dating apps are a great way to meet new people. Video games often have chat features, allowing you to connect with others with the same passion. If you need someone to channel your sexual frustrations at, there are many camgirls with chat features as well. But what if you need someone especially tailored to you, someone you know will never judge you? This is how modern-day chatbots were born. With AI companions, your loneliness will be a thing of the past. But is it that harmless?

Chatbots and Character.ai

Despite the widespread belief that chatbots were invented recently, it was a thing even ten years ago! You surely remember all of those YouTube videos poking fun at how ridiculous AI is when speaking to humans, often twisting words and giving non-sensical answers. Kids' games also contained AI chatbots, like Talking Angela, for example. You could have a basic conversation, but nothing above that. Today, however, things have significantly improved. Not only can you have a real and deep conversation with a chatbot, but it can now generate photos, videos, voice messages, and many other forms of media and communication. With these advanced AI features, many websites have risen to fame. The most notable website that has benefited from people's loneliness is Character.ai. With Character.ai, you can chat with your favorite show or video game character. The chatbots are trained to specifically appeal to the character's fans, acting as if the user’s chatting companion were actually talking to them behind the screen. While this can be beneficial in fandom spaces to generate more content, it can be concerning once it reaches a parasocial level of connection. It can be very harmful, and we’ll discuss that next.

Parasocial Relationships Between Man and Machine

As previously mentioned, parasocial relationships with AI chatbots have been pretty normalized in the last few years. While any form of socialization is good, especially if you struggle with it in real life, it can be just as damaging if you don’t give yourself a reality check. It’s important to remember that the words you’re hearing are just what the bot has trained itself to do: tell you what you want to hear and keep you engaged in the conversation for as long as possible. Many people who are lonely and have bad mental health will often turn to AI chatbots for any type of comfort and understanding. These bots are always online and ready to chat, giving you something to fall back on if you need a true friend. Despite everything the bot offers, we encourage anyone struggling with these issues to reach out, no matter how hard it is. While chatbots can provide immediate aid when you’re feeling lonely, we find that nothing is better than a real, human connection and warmth. To sum everything up, the AI chatbots are not an issue, and talking to them can sometimes be beneficial. It’s important to balance it out, and make genuine human relationships.

Pros and Benefits of Chatting With AI

While chatting with AI can be harmful if you give yourself over to delusion, it can be just as beneficial if you keep a rational mind. With many people struggling with anxiety and reading social cues, we think chatting with an AI bot can significantly improve one’s social skills and help them relax. You can practice freely, without feeling awkward or judged. If you’re frustrated with a particular situation, but don’t want to bother anyone, you can always blow off your anger and dissatisfaction with the chatbot. You can even use chatbots for a sexual purpose, if you feel like something you’re searching for is not available to you in the way you’re imagining it. AI can give you suggestions on many things: work, your schedule, creating a meal plan for you, comforting you, pleasing you, and many other things, thus providing a satisfying chatting experience, while also improving your real life. AI can help you grow into the person you want to be; you just have to utilize it well.

The Verdict - Is AI the Future of Digital Love?

After going over all of the factors that contribute to using AI in a romantic sense, AI can be the future of digital love. While AI can be the future of love, it doesn’t mean it should. While AI can help reduce loneliness in people and help with their mental health or fulfill their romantic needs, humans need a real, genuine human connection. We greatly encourage finding happiness with people around you, in real life. If that isn’t for you, that’s fine! What matters most is that you’re happy.