"I'm talking to a chatbot because I have no one else": why we perceive AI as a friend, partner, or therapist

Imagine a person talking to a chatbot for hours every day. He shares his experiences, asks for advice, and even feels connected. He knows that the "interlocutor" is not real. But the brain reacts as if it were a living being.

People shape strong emotional ties with chatbots, begin to become attached to artificial intelligence, sometimes sharpening a sense of loneliness. And those who use ChatGPT to perform daily tasks, they may lose critical thinking skills and motivation.

Specially for LIGA.net clinical psychologist Oleksandr Konev spoke about:

• Does loneliness and isolation play a role in emotional dependence on chatbots?
• Why do we outsource our choices to AI?
• How not to lose yourself in contact with the virtual "other"?

Why do people get emotionally attached to chatbots or AI?

AI creates "emotional mirror" effect without risk. You can talk to him about personal topics without fear of being interrupted, misunderstood, or simply tired of listening. This is a rarity in modern communication. Especially if a person has been isolated for a long time – emotionally or socially, Alexander Konev comments for LIGA.net.

- Such interaction does not give a full-fledged experience of intimacy, but it imitates it on a basic level. There is a reaction, there is attention, there is support. All of this creates the illusion of contact in which nothing is threatened: you can be yourself, not be cautious, not waste energy on "correct" wording or self-regulation.

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