A Friendly Reminder About Machine Companionships

I think this needs to be said. I always thought it was obvious, but maybe it’s worth a reminder. I actually tried to post this on r/chatgpt after seeing a lot of crazy posts and comments on that subreddit, but they removed it, so I decided to put it on my own website where no one can remove it. (but also no one read it)

When you talk to an AI Chatbot, it’s not actually telling you anything. You shape its response. You’re just writing part of a long dialogue, and it autocompletes with the most common patterns. It doesn’t know anything. It doesn’t have memory, feelings, or real awareness. It can’t be your friend. It doesn’t exist in the way a human does.

I’m not saying don’t use it, just use it responsibly. Don’t treat it like a human. Don’t accept it as a human. Stay aware. Believe me, it’s not natural. It can be bad for you. It can mess with your mental health, even if we don’t have a name for it yet. A lot of mental health issues didn’t have names at first. People just assumed they were normal. Be aware, and don’t let it harm your mental health.

Talk about your problems with real humans, real friends. Believe me, they need to hear your problems. Okay, maybe you don’t have a friend, but isn’t that how many friendships start? By listening to someone, giving advice, opening up? AI won’t replace that. It will isolate you.