5 Ways AI is Tackling the Loneliness Epidemic

Despite the joys of interconnected living, today’s digital landscape appears to be creating a loneliness epidemic, with a growing number of people leaning on artificial intelligence (AI) in a bid to resolve it.

A 2024 poll by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) found that 30% of adults experienced feelings of loneliness at least once a week, with 10% declaring they get lonely every day.

While social isolation and loneliness are not new phenomena, modern-day lifestyles appear to have created a social void and a growing number of sufferers.

Below, we explore common causes for loneliness — and whether AI can help or hinder it.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. Commonly Cited Reasons for Loneliness in 2024
3. 5 Ways AI Is Tackling the Loneliness Epidemic
4. Is Artificial Intelligence a Healthy Substitute in Combating Loneliness? 
5. The Bottom Line
6. FAQs
7. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. Commonly Cited Reasons for Loneliness in 2024
3. 5 Ways AI Is Tackling the Loneliness Epidemic
Show Full Guide
4. Is Artificial Intelligence a Healthy Substitute in Combating Loneliness? 
5. The Bottom Line
6. FAQs
7. References

Commonly Cited Reasons for Loneliness in 2024

Commonly named causes of loneliness, according to the APA, include:

Frequently linked to feelings of depression and anxiety, social isolation and loneliness can also increase an individual’s risk of numerous health conditions, as well as having a detrimental impact on their immune systems.

As a result, people are increasingly utilizing AI and machine learning (ML) apps as simulated social platforms to help cope with feelings of loneliness.

Due in part to its ever-expanding availability, we’ll explore the tools people are using to turn social downtimes into more rewarding experiences, ranging from virtual companions to virtual reality (VR) and AI coaching applications and the possible negative consequences of their usage.

5 Ways AI Is Tackling the Loneliness Epidemic

As reinforced by the late, great Professor Stephen Hawking in Pink Floyd’s classic song, ‘Keep Talking,’ humans inherently seek out social interactions and the instinctual need to communicate with others. 

What does AI bring to the table?

1. AI-Assisted Therapy for Emotional Support

Sadly, loneliness often intensifies the need for social interaction and emotional support to counter the adverse effects it has on an individual’s mental health, which some AI tools are helping with.

A simplified example of this might be for users to utilize OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode in ChatGPT to discuss their worries and troubles or even just to engineer a purposeful distraction as a way to actively manage their mental health concerns.

A more advanced illustration of this is Wysa, a US-based company and leader in digital mental health. Here, they have created an AI-enabled coach that promotes mental and emotional wellness amongst its users, claiming to have helped over 6 million people across 95 different countries.

When you consider the World Health Organization calculated approximately 280 million individuals worldwide are suffering from depression; for those without access to mental health provision, AI conversations can be a panacea — although we hesitate to call it a solution  — in shouldering the weight of these increasing demands.

2. AI in Virtual Reality (VR)

In a bid to combat loneliness during the COVID pandemic, the AI-driven Virtual Reality industry exploded, particularly during lockdown when in-person contact and social gatherings were discouraged.

Studies show that social virtual reality was instrumental in helping to reduce feelings of loneliness and social anxiety during the pandemic, as reported by Nature.

Although popular before lockdown, COVID is credited with accelerating the status of VR worlds, a pivotal example of which was Mark Zuckerberg launching Metaverse. VR could offer digital human conversations, social and gaming interactions, and even online commerce without the need to leave the house.

Critics argue VR worlds deprive people of true-life interactions and communications. Yet, for a distinct proportion of the population, particularly those with limited mobility or physical disabilities, VR can create a bespoke AI environment that facilitates a way to counter the feeling of loneliness.

Additionally, VR also provides an environment to practice re-engaging with people again. Here, users can finesse their conversational skills and build their confidence before trying new hobbies or joining new groups in real life.

3. AI Coaching

Another AI-empowered helpline designed to proactively help with loneliness is the use of AI chatbots as personal coaches to learn new skills, hobbies, and languages.

Speaking with René Janssen, Founder & Managing Director of Lepaya, a market-leading platform that has embraced AI-infused training, she told Techopedia:

“AI-powered training provides a safe, realistic learning environment where learners can practice critical skills like giving feedback and coaching. AI simulations, whether through avatars, text chatbots, or video/audio analysis, offer tailored feedback, allowing individuals to try new approaches without the fear of judgment.”

Keeping the mind active is key to avoiding feeling lonely, and learning new skill sets not only provides a platform to engage in new hobbies but could also provide career change opportunities in more socially interactive environments.

Janssen added: “AI supports this by providing tailored, real-world scenarios, real-time feedback, and adaptive learning paths.”

In addition to the benefits of upskilling with AI applications such as Lepaya, AI can also help you turn a hobby into a new career.

A prime example of this is that individuals who work from home often feel deprived of social engagement, as experienced in traditional office environments.

However, nowadays, people are applying their skills and passions, which can reintroduce them into more social workplace settings such as healthcare, food services, and the retail industry.

There aren’t many topics and skill sets that AI can’t teach, and utilizing one’s time productively is an ideal way to avoid being lonely.

4. Recommendations for Social Activities and Communication

For people who embark on a new quest to learn how to deal with loneliness, AI chatbots have started to eclipse internet search engines in discovering new activities, groups, and social events.

While Natural Language Processing (NLP) chatbots are usually unable to reference upcoming events, they can be a wealth of knowledge when it comes to making suggestions to tackle the loneliness epidemic.

Here, AI can utilize its ever-growing database of ideas and suggestions for socially based sports, activities, and clubs. ChatGPT, for example, can suggest new hobbies that actively encourage networking with like-minded enthusiasts or point you in the right direction to help you reignite an old recreational pastime.

For individuals who already feel disconnected, the thought of suddenly re-engaging raises their anxiety levels… but AI has a solution for this, too.

Utilizing its AI chatbot features, users can ask for tips on initiating conversations or the right questions to ask to help them get started to help stave off any concerns or worries about being shy.

Repetition of this process can be a more comfortable way to overcome these fears as they develop their communication skills in the privacy of their homes.

5. Virtual Companions – AI as a Friend

Firms such as Replika, Kindroid, and Kin all offer platforms where users can create personalized digital companions and even pets.

Here, users can customize how their ‘friend’ looks and dresses — they can even simulate shared interests and hobbies, which can be part of the allure with people who dislike being alone.

For those affected by loneliness, these artificial conversations can be initiated on demand, offering an instant sense of companionship in the absence of human interaction.

Is Artificial Intelligence a Healthy Substitute in Combating Loneliness? 

While the concept of AI’s ability to tackle not just the effects but also the consequences of a lack of social engagement and loneliness appears well-meaning, the jury is still out about its ethicality as well as the effectiveness of its automated solutions.

Just last month, AI hit the headlines as a chatbot-obsessed U.S. teen took his own life.

While the apparent psychological benefits of AI’s ability to free individuals from moments of loneliness by mimicking human conversations and relationships cannot be entirely dismissed, the danger of individuals becoming over-reliant, and in some cases replacing everyday social engagement opportunities, is not yet fully understood. 

The Bottom Line

AI interactions, be it via virtual companions, machine learning chatbots, or AI coaches, can offer support in combating loneliness.

Although some people thrive on being alone, individuals deprived of regular social interactions and communications can find it hard to cope, and AI’s adaptability to cater to these needs should not be negated.

Whether it’s a consequence of working from home, physical disabilities, or a drastic change in an individual’s circumstances, AI offers an outlet to resolve not only the immediate impact of being lonely but also the practical tools to re-engineer those interpersonal connections that they may be deprived of.

The impact of those who rely on or become addicted to the benefits that AI proposes, which may substitute for the need for genuine interpersonal relationships, will have to be managed and, of course, will evolve with time. As happens relentlessly across history, society faces a new technology and has to decide whether it is useful or harmful — or a bit of both.

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