Loneliness has become a defining challenge of our time. One in three adult Americans says they have experienced loneliness at least once a week over the past year.

With the evolution of online technologies—from early social media platforms to today’s generative AI and large language models—people have found new ways to connect, share, and seek comfort.

The latest chapter in this story is the rise of AI companions, or digital confidants that promise empathy, conversation, and companionship at any hour. From Replika and Snap’s My AI to ChatGPT’s persona-driven companions, these chatbots are marketed as accessible, nonjudgmental partners in a world where genuine human connection often feels out of reach.

Yet our recent research reveals a striking paradox: The very tools people adopt to feel less lonely may, over time, deepen their sense of disconnection.

In our recent study on the mental health effects and evolution of AI companions, results show people often turn to these systems because they feel isolated, anxious, or detached from real-world relationships.

Initially, AI companions appear to help. The use of these AI companions can lead to increased affective expressiveness—users open up, share emotions more freely, and articulate feelings they might otherwise suppress.

However, linguistic patterns also revealed a troubling shift: increased expressions of loneliness and even suicidal ideation. The same AI companions that help users overcome loneliness may inadvertently intensify it when a real human connection is........

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