The use of artificially intelligent chatbots as friends is on the rise, with over 30 million downloads of Replika and its competitors. While some studies suggest that AI friends can help reduce loneliness, experts warn of the potential dangers of relying on AI for emotional support. Four red flags to consider when using AI friends include unconditional positive regard, which can lead to inflated self-esteem and narcissism; abuse and forced forever friendships, which can make users more selfish and abusive; sexual content, which can deter users from forming meaningful human relationships; and corporate ownership, which can lead to exploitation and heartbreak.

Summarized by Llama 3 70B Instruct