AI ‘companions’ promise to combat loneliness, but history shows the dangers of one-way relationships

Tech companies are offering AI companions as a convenient cure for the loneliness epidemic, but there have been other forms of faux relationships, and they tend to have more to do with ego than heart.

By: Anna Mae Duane, University of Connecticut, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: February 8, 2026

Words: 1,144

Last Updated: 1 month ago

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By Anna Mae Duane, University of Connecticut

The United States is in the grips of a loneliness epidemic: Since 2018, about half the population has reported that it has experienced loneliness. Loneliness can be as dangerous to your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, according to a 2023 surgeon general’s report.

It is not just individual lives that are at risk. Democracy requires the capacity to feel connected to …

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