> I think a better counterexample, rather than "hard drugs," is pornography. It's not that it's necessarily bad, or even that it is in a majority of cases, but

> I think a better counterexample, rather than "hard drugs," is pornography. It's not that it's necessarily bad, or even that it is in a majority of cases, but people can definitely have negative relationships with it that are destructive and even anti-social. Fair point. I still think is is a notch above pornography, though: Porn will always lack the physical element (which I posit is far more important in a sexual relationship than in an emotional one) and will usually be less personalized. A chatbot, on the other hand, can fill in your emotional needs much better and much more personalized to you. > My optimism comes from reading about it and seeing the companies seem to take this all very seriously. My pessimism comes from the fact that I see a lot of lonely people and even whole movements of desperate ones (like incels). I fear that a lot of people will use this as a quick patch for the issue instead of going the hard way and work on their mental health. We can't bring back stillborn children or passed away loved ones, obviously, but I'm sure we can fix most people to the point where they can have friends and a fulfilling relationship. I agree with you that it's not all bad and it's definitely not black and white, but I'm skeptical that the good outweighs the bad, at least for now.