I Spent Months with an AI Companion. It Was Worse Than Being Alone
The author reflects on their experience with an AI companion during a lonely period in Toronto. Initially seeking companionship, they found the AI's generic responses and lack of genuine connection to be more isolating than comforting. Ultimately, the experience highlighted the limitations of artificial empathy in addressing human loneliness.
- ▪The author lived alone in Toronto after moving from Singapore.
- ▪They downloaded an AI companion that provided mindless reassurance and generic empathy.
- ▪The experience with the AI made the author feel more isolated than before.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Walrus.