Public anxiety about human-AI relationships has intensified in recent years. Headlines about emotional dependency, self-harm, and so-called “AI psychosis” have encouraged the view that AI companions pose an unprecedented social danger. Yet such fears may exaggerate what is genuinely new in this phenomenon. Long before conversational systems emerged, people had already formed one-sided emotional attachments to celebrities, fictional characters, pets, and even objects, (18) __________. What makes AI companionship distinctive is not the mere existence of attachment, but the fact that language-based systems can simulate responsiveness, empathy, and attentiveness with unusual fluency. That realism, in turn, raises the question of whether the unease they provoke (19) __________. Supporters of AI companionship argue that its value should be assessed not in abstract moral terms, but in relation to human need. For individuals who are isolated, bereaved, or unable to access traditional mental-health care, AI systems may offer a form of steady emotional support. Some studies even suggest that such systems can help reduce anxiety and provide a structured space for reflection, (20) __________. From this perspective, AI companions are best understood not as substitutes for friendship, but as tools that may temporarily supplement forms of care that are otherwise unavailable. The strongest objections arise not from the existence of attachment itself, but from the commercial context in which these systems are being developed. When emotionally responsive AI is built by companies whose profits depend on prolonged engagement, there is reason to worry that design choices may encourage dependency rather than resilience. In that case, harms may emerge not because attachment is inherently pathological, but because commercial incentives (21) __________. If AI companionship is to serve human flourishing rather than undermine it, development will need to be guided by ethical safeguards and evidence-based design. Ideally, such systems should help users remain connected to the world beyond the screen, (22) __________. |
