In 2022, researchers and psychologists in Malaysia highlighted rising youth loneliness, as global and local surveys show Gen Z increasingly turning to AI chatbots like ChatGPT for emotional support that is leading to digital loneliness.
Despite increased levels of connectivity compared to before via social media and the internet, young people are experiencing more depressive tendencies due to the association between AI and loneliness.
A global Gallup and Meta survey across 142 countries found that a quarter of individuals aged under 30 said that they either felt a little, or very lonely, for those ranked among the older generations, despite similar online socializing.
The National Health and Morbidity Survey 2022 found loneliness doubling among secondary school students over the last decade, from 8.1% to 16.2%. In Malaysia, the pattern follows worldwide results. Loneliness is easy to overlook because it’s less visible than other mental illness mentioned Dr Chua Sook Ning, founder of Relate Malaysia and a clinical psychologist.
Contrary to this emotional vacuum, AI and social isolation have become inherently linked because chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini are becoming a new type of online friendship. A report by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak’s Dr Chuah Kee Man reveals that nearly 90% of Gen Z respondents use them to discuss personal woes.
“AI friends may be helpful in alleviating short-term loneliness or facilitating social rehearsal space,” Dr Chuah added.
AI Chatbots Increasing Loneliness
Experts, however, caution against mistaking AI companionship for genuine emotional support. “AI can mimic empathy, but it lacks lived experience,” said Chuah, adding, “real friendships are built on shared experiences and evolving trust. AI can’t replicate that.”
Dr Azree Nazri of Universiti Putra Malaysia explained how users underestimating the emotional impact of chatbot interactions can lead to a state of AI chatbots and loneliness. Some said they experienced the same emotional relief as from interactions with human beings. But frequent use, he warned, would make one lonelier.
Digital loneliness and its ethical aspects cannot be ignored, as Emeritus Prof Datuk Tengku Mohd Tengku Sembok questioned whether AI should replace community support.
“Are we allowing AI to replace what should be human acts of duty?” Prof Tengku Mohd asked. He also warned against financial exploitation of emotional loneliness in the digital age information, “Any system that pretends to be your friend while mining your feelings must be scrutinized.”
Prof Tengku Mohd said, “In the end, addressing loneliness is not about building better chatbots. It is about building better communities. And that is something no machine can do better than us.”
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AI is becoming a titan of innovation, taking humanity to unprecedented heights. Humanity is now functioning on a very different basis that is no longer human-centric, but rather machine-centric and with it we become more isolated from our connection than ever before.
AI chatbots are no longer a tool to facilitate life but rather our confidantes that’re growing far more sophisticated, far more subtle, and in an iconic, twisty way, birthing a new kind of dependency.
Human dependency on AI chatbots creates a new form of that ancient human ache, a new modern form of melancholic solitude. As if we needed more solitude, as if we needed more distance from what connects us to who we are, now, technology has given us digital loneliness to further consume what’s left of our humanity.
As technology becomes increasingly woven into daily life, experts say overdependent use can exacerbate mental issues and create digital loneliness rather than fix them.
Loneliness, depression, and anxiety aren’t just the byproducts of being alone; they’re intensified by it.
Even if a chatty robot helps seniors fight loneliness through AI companionship, chatbots are an immediate solution to short-term isolation, but they can never replace genuine connection or community care. The younger people retreat into virtual friendship, the more disconnected they become from the real world.
Even if ai can cure loneliness should it be the ultimate solution? Reviving face-to-face, fostering empathy, and creating empathetic climates are essential steps. In the end, it is human connection, not code, that truly makes humans feel less lonely.
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