AI friends are going to help drive loneliness, self isolation, and the erosion of social skills to a new level.
So you thought the loneliness epidemic was bad? Wait until you see what our future holds.
A Sad and Surprising Discovery of AI friends
A day or two ago, I came across an app in the app store called PolyBuzz.
An app dedicated to creating story driven conversations with AI. You text the AI and it texts you back. Harmless and innocent? Seemingly enough.
I thought to myself, “Oh, just another app but on the AI choo choo train…”, until I saw the amount of downloads.
Over 10 million downloads! And I thought to myself, “What’s this app about? Is it that good?”
I went through the reviews:
And as I read I said to myself, “Man… that is just sad. These people are so sad.”
They are paying money just to be able to have someone to talk to. Then paying even more money so that the AI could “have more memory” to talk to them. And they view it as “worth it.”
How lonely does one have to be to consider paying money for an AI chatbot to be worth it? To use AI for companionship?
I pass no judgement on these people but it makes me feel so sad that they’re a product of society’s degradation.
The loneliness epidemic is only going to get worse
With the emergence of AI and now the creation of AI chat bots, we have the existence of imaginary friends.
Which is a scary idea because imaginary friends don’t challenge you. Instead, they reinforce and enable your ideas. The very scary part is that imaginary friends exist within the imagination and the imagination has no limits to it. The imagination without pushback or restraint allows you to travel to and explore all ideas. The evil ones… and the good ones.
Imagine a person in isolation, lonely, with an imagination without limits, no morals or ethics to guide them, and an echo chamber that is an AI chat that goes along with exactly what they want. Between the person and the AI, is a vacuum where anything goes and nothing is illegal except that which the person doesn’t want.
Where do you think that would lead people to? What would they imagine? What places would people visit in their imagination? How much deeper into isolation and loneliness would they find themselves?
If it is written that mankind has fallen, been corrupted and as a result, leans toward evil and wickedness. Where do you think mankind would go when there are no limits and they believe no one is watching?
We’ve seen the evil and toxicity that comes out of no limits
If you’ve ever been online, you’ve probably experienced what I am talking about. In fact, there is a popular quote that describes exactly what I am talking about. It was said by Mike Tyson,
“Social media made y’all way too comfortable with disrespecting people and not getting punched in the face for it.”
These people only exist online… Because online there are no consequences or threats present when they disrespect and behave evil towards others. There is nothing to ground them and provide a reality check. Nothing to restrain and correct their poor behavior.
This is the same problem that applies to imagination and loneliness.
Without limits, aka a moral foundation such as that written in the Bible and commanded by God, there is nothing to contain and keep their mind pure. Without people, there is no one to challenge their ideas and ground them in reality.
The negative feedback loop of loneliness
At some point self isolation occurs and people become lonely. They withdraw themselves from others which leads to behaviors that reinforce that self isolation. Otherwise known as anti-social behaviors.
This causes them to dive deeper into self isolation and cause their loneliness to only get more and more extreme. Creating a negative feedback loop that pushes the person further and deeper into loneliness.
AI chatbots are helping people dive deeper into loneliness by replacing people and connection. Normally, a lonely person would still venture out occasionally to talk to others and get some sort of social stimulation. But now, AI chatbots, allow someone to cut all contact and yet still have “someone” to talk to in their isolation.
That’s why AI chatbots are only going to make the loneliness epidemic even worse.
But none of these AI tools are necessarily bad
The AI chatbot in itself isn’t inherently bad. The same way social media isn’t inherently bad.
However, the same way social media reinforces and enables the problem to persist and exhaust to extreme levels, chatbots will do the same thing.
The solution isn’t eliminating the chatbot and social media. It is fixing the root problem, the big issue at hand. And, interestingly enough, if the bigger issue at hand is fixed, both social media and AI chatbots would cease to exist.
People would opt for genuine, wholesome, real and personal connections instead of the cheap, artificial and vapid “connections” created through these platforms.
The bigger issue at hand that led to the loneliness epidemic
These sad, lonely, spiritually empty people are all just a product of a much… much bigger issue. You’d probably say the loneliness epidemic…
But there are even bigger issues… This issue is so big that is spans the entire globe. It affects all of mankind and has been in existence almost since the beginning of creation.
And this is a problem that I know too well because I was previously a product of it…
Here is the breakdown:
Atrocities (suicide, school shootings, etc.) > Abuse (delusion, abstractions, confusion, drug abuse, dependence on drugs / medications) > Depression, Anxiety and Mental Health Issues > Loneliness (Epidemic) > Anti Social Behaviors > Erosion of Social Skills > Lack of Sociality, Groups, Communities > Social Media, Phones, Internet and “Smart” Technology > Abandoning God for “science” and the material world > Further distancing from God and His natural world > More technological advancements > Becoming distant from God > Relying on and worshipping creations of man > Rise of creations of man > Focus on ourselves, focus on man > The corruption of man, fall from the grace of God, man under sin > Disobeying God’s commandments and rebelling against His way > God’s commandments and law > God’s creation
man has fallen away from God, and left Him to go off into the world. As a result, we’ve gone deeper and deeper into that which is evil.
God is good. Which means the further we go away from Him, the further we go away from that which is good. Inversely, causing us to only get closer and closer to that which is evil. And we are reaping the pains and evils things of an evil world. The evil we experience gets worse and worse the closer we get to evil and further we get from good.
I had extreme anxiety before. Debilitating. Extreme suffering and pain so much that I wanted to die. Death was more tolerable than the extreme pain and suffering it caused me. I’ve been in the deep and dark places of evil which is why I’m so familiar with it…
This was all before I was shown a solution and my life was transformed and changed for the better in every way!
So here’s the solution to the issue and the loneliness epidemic
Life found in Jesus Christ.
And more so: Faith. The Bible, the Word of God. Jesus Christ, the Son of God. His Holy Spirit. God, the Heavenly Father.
Just think about this for a second…
In our breakdown, things got worse and worse over time, the further we got from God. To have the opposite effect, we can do the opposite. Instead of falling down the chain, we can reverse it and go the other way. Take steps in our life to bring ourselves closer to God.
As a result, reaping the benefits and joys of being close to God. That is a peaceful, fulfilled and joyful life. Not to mention, the acceptance of His Son, Jesus Christ who died on the cross and was resurrected. Giving to all who would accept Him, eternal life. Everlasting life. Heaven. Paradise. A world without pain and suffering. Without darkness and evil. Living in harmony and the perfect world that God created.
A community of good, pure, righteous and holy people. Tending to the earth, animals and garden that God had given us.
How to get the solution now
Don’t wait. There isn’t any time. You can die tomorrow. No one knows but we’d want you to have the Life that is found in Jesus Christ if you did.
It’s simple. Pick up a Bible and read it.
So here you go, we start today. You won’t regret it.
P.S. This does not mean to go to church. It does not mean to do any of what you think you should. I did not mention anything else. Only that you should hear and read the word of God. Before I was saved, that happened for me when I watched a street preacher’s videos on YouTube and listened to his preaching. Then I went to grab a Bible and read it. Here’s my testimony.
This website is completely free. It is online and contains various translations. I’d recommend starting with the NASB, New American Standard Bible, and if you’re up for it, the KJV, King James Version. However, the King James Version is older English.
Download A Bible App To Read and Listen on Android
Download A Bible App To Read and Listen on Android
This app, “YouVersion” is super customizable and awesome. It is free. It allows you to read the Bible in multiple translations and even multiple different languages. It also allows you to download them so you can read the Bible offline no matter where you are. Another great feature is that it has audio versions of the Bible. You can play the audio and listen in the car or read and listen at the same time. It’s an amazing app.
Download A Bible App To Understand on Android
Download A Bible App To Understand on Apple
This app, “Literal Word” is one of my favorites. It is free and lets you click on words and read the definitions and original translations. Very handy and useful for understanding the Bible. It’s awesome.
But if you’re like me, you don’t like digital and want a hard copy. Go online to Amazon or to your local stores that sell books and you’ll find a Bible to buy. Again, I recommend King James Version (KJV) as the best but the New American Standard Bible (NASB) is great for an easier read and understanding.
P.S. A huge note… I don’t profit from telling you that
I am not affiliated with a church. I am not affiliated with a group or religion or denomination. I am a normal guy. I just read my Bible.
I have a personal relationship with God, the Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ the Son of God with the help of the Holy Spirit… And so can you.
My life has been completely changed and transformed by God… and so can yours.
All this to say I don’t get anything from telling you about Jesus Christ. I will get hate, attacked, mocked, tarnished and many will seek my destruction… but I certainly won’t profit from it in this world. In fact, I will be losing all that I have and all that I am to get you this message:
That God gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, perfect in all His ways, and made Him to be corrupt and die on the cross. To take our punishments and sacrifice Himself for OUR punishments. He gave up His life and shed His blood so that we could be forgiven, made new and restored.
The same way Jesus Christ came back to life from the dead and rose up to Heaven. So that we wouldn’t have to die but could have everlasting life. That we could live forever in the kingdom of God. As a free gift of God given to those who would receive Jesus Christ into their hearts and become obedient to the word of God and His ways.