Sunny Side Up: The real meaning of friendship – and it's got nothing to do with AI

Using AI as a companion might mean there’s no judgement and it’s always available, but that’s because it can’t judge and is designed to always be there – and neither of these qualities are particularly healthy in real connections. — 123rf

Last weekend I was sitting in a café with friends discussing what makes for good friendship, and how some people are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots for something that feels similar.

Particularly among young people (but not exclusively so), there has been a growing trend of turning to large language models (LLMs) for friendship, mental health guidance, and even romance.