ChatGPT, Claude and other AI chatbots may help lonely people feel better, but they cannot offer what humans can, Yale professor warns

Millions of people could benefit from artificial intelligence (AI) companions to help them cope with loneliness, but becoming overly dependent on them may be detrimental to real-world social skills. An AI chatbot can provide emotional support without judgment and conflict, but a Yale University psychology professor has cautioned that continual use of systems designed to validate users could make real human relationships more difficult to navigate.

Speaking on Sam Harris’ Making Sense podcast, Paul Bloom, the Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale University, said future AI systems such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini could become a valuable tool for people struggling with isolation.