A.I. Is About to Solve Loneliness. That’s a Problem

The author argues that AI companions could meaningfully address widespread loneliness, particularly among older adults for whom chronic isolation poses serious health risks—comparable to smoking and linked to cardiovascular disease, dementia, and premature death—yet this position faces resistance in academia rooted in moral objections rather than empathy for those who could benefit from the technology. Rather than blanket rejection of artificial empathy, the author suggests a more nuanced consideration of what AI might offer to genuinely lonely people, especially given that governments like Japan and the U.K. now recognize loneliness as a public health priority warranting official intervention.

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