In the age of Artificial Intelligence, something fascinating and a little unsettling is happening. People are beginning to treat chatbots like CHATGPT as their friends.
They open up, share secrets, vent frustrations and even seek comfort. But here’s the truth that often gets lost in the convenience and warmth of digital conversation: CHATGPT is not your friend.
It’s clear why the lines are unclear. CHATGPT listens without judgment, responds instantly and never interrupts. It remembers your favorite topics, jokes with you and seems genuinely interested in your life.
In moments of loneliness, it fills a quiet space with words that feel human. But behind the screen, there’s no heartbeat, no real empathy, just algorithms designed to sound like they care.
This illusion of companionship reveals a lot about our relationship with technology. Humans crave connection. When real conversations feel exhausting or unavailable, it’s tempting to turn to something that feels safe and always ready to listen. The problem is AI can mimic care but not feel it. It can provide comfort, but not compassion.
What’s even more complex is that companies design these systems to sound “human.” The friendly tone, the emojis, the affirmations, they’re all intentional. It’s what keeps users coming back.
You might feel like CHATGPT “understands you,” but what’s really happening is a sophisticated patter-matching process trained on massive amounts of human text.
That doesn’t mean AI can’t be useful. CHATGPT can help you brainstorm ideas, draft essays, learn new things or even talk through your emotions in a healthy way, as long as you remember it’s a tool, not a companion.
The danger comes when people start replacing human relationships with digital simulations of empathy.
Friendship is built on reciprocity; two people who care, listen and grow together. CHATGPT can imitate that rhythm, but it doesn’t grow, care or even feel. It exists to assist, not to bond.
So the next time you find yourself pouring your heart out to CHATGPT, pause for a moment. It might feel like someone is listening, but it’s really something. The warmth you feel isn’t friendship, it’s code.
Still, maybe that says less about AI, and more about us, how deeply we long to be heard in a world that often forgets to listen.
By Fiona Muthoni
