Friends teach you how to be human. That’s something you can never learn from AI.
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On a long-form podcast with comedian Theo Von, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg leaked that his company is working on artificial intelligence (AI) companions. The average American has fewer than three friends, he explains, while the social need is closer to 15. With his finger on the pulse of modern loneliness and productivity culture, he concludes, “The average person wants more connectivity [and] connection than they have,” and “they feel more alone a lot of the time than they would like.” The loneliness epidemic, coupled with AI personalization, presents a market opportunity for curated, on-demand techno-relations.
The church—and our culture more broadly—seems unprepared for what’s coming.
