> I know how to sound empathetic for those that need it. But that isn't actually empathy, and people can tell the difference. > Some people need words of affi

> I know how to sound empathetic for those that need it. But that isn't actually empathy, and people can tell the difference. > Some people need words of affirmations and validation to be lifted. Not the words. The understanding and sharing that underpins the words. My point is this: if you think empathy can be faked successfully, you simply aren't the right sort of person to decide whether the results of automated faking with an LLM are valuable to the listener. Because people can very often tell when empathy is being faked. And when they do discover that empathy is being faked, you are not going to be easily forgiven. Empathy implicitly involves exposing someone's feelings to the air, as it were, in order to identify that you understand and share them. So faked empathy is variously experienced as insulting, patronising, hurtful, derisive etc. Using an LLM to create verbose fluffy fake empathy is going to stick out like a sore thumb. If this isn't something you find easy to understand at a level of feeling, don't fake empathy, especially at volume. Stick to something very simple and an offer of contextually useful help. > My empathy generally drives me to action and solving problems. I think this is noble and valuable, and I would in your shoes stick to this. Offers of assistance are a kindness. But you should never pretend to share someone's feelings if you don't share their feelings. Especially not in volume.