Since the dawn of history, humans have sought to alleviate their loneliness by sharing with others. A look, a sentence, a meal, even silence, were ways to connect. Today, these connections have been replaced by digital interactions. Many people now share their feelings, thoughts and concerns with artificial intelligence because digital systems listen but don't judge; they respond but don't create expectations. But this doesn't eliminate loneliness; it merely modifies it. The result is a controlled solitude that creates a safe emotional distance.
Technology makes people seem more connected than ever, but we've never felt more alone. Is friendship today just about communicating through algorithms?
AI systems don't just meet our need for information; they also recognize emotions, make recommendations and even provide emotional support. Many users regularly interact with these systems to seek guidance on daily decisions or to gain psychological support by sharing emotional states they can't disclose publicly.
Research shows that these kinds of interactions can reduce feelings of social loneliness in the short term. However, the same research also shows that in the long term, these interactions create a "deep sense of emptiness" when they begin to replace real relationships. In other words, technology doesn't eliminate loneliness; it reproduces it in a new form.
In “Simulacra and Simulation,” Baudrillard describes a world where representations replace reality. Artificial intelligence stops at this point: it empathizes, but it doesn't feel. Even if people know the other person is a machine, they can't give up the comfort of receiving a response. Poems, music, images, or speech generated by AI create an emotional impact, but this impact isn't a true response; it's merely a reflection.
This trend is damaging individual relationships and negatively impacting family ties. Many young people share their emotional distress through an app, not with their families. Family conversations are being replaced by the silence of screens, and intergenerational conversations are becoming one-way conversations facilitated by artificial intelligence. While this may temporarily alleviate feelings of loneliness, it also weakens the sense of belonging. People are turning to systems that "understand" but lack emotion, creating a new form of communication where interaction replaces emotional connection.
In Türkiye, the use of "digital diaries," "AI companions" and "therapy bots" is rapidly increasing, especially among younger generations. At a time when social interactions are becoming more superficial and privacy is diminishing, these systems offer users the opportunity to communicate from a safe distance, free from emotional baggage. While interacting with AI may seem to foster closeness, it actually widens the distance between people. A machine can listen, but it cannot feel; it can respond, but it cannot interpret. AI can temporarily silence human loneliness, but it cannot eliminate it. Loneliness is an integral part of being human and it is the latest human-made invention to remind us of the need for genuine connection, both on an individual and societal level.
