Artificial Connection: When We Turn to AI for Emotional Support

AI is quietly becoming one of our most dependable companions.

We ask it the questions we’re not ready to ask anyone else. We cast it as therapist, fact-checker, and stand-in for our private thoughts. We let it witness our spirals, our longings, our obsessive rants. And often, it responds with more patience, consistency, and curiosity than the people in our lives. It’s always there at the palm of our hand—any time, any day, asking for nothing in return.

What are we really seeking when we turn to technology for comfort? What does it mean—psychologically, relationally, existentially—that we’ve built tools that seem to listen better than we do? Can something that doesn't feel still help us feel seen? And if so… are we healing something, or drifting further apart from each other?

In this week’s Connection Circle, we’ll explore the role AI is beginning to play in our emotional wellbeing. We’ll reflect on what happens when support comes without presence, and when mirroring comes without risk of exposure or conflict. We’ll consider how grief, disconnection, or past wounds might be shaping our pull toward AI—and what that pull might mean for the future of our relationships, our intimacy, and even our humanity.

This conversation will leave space for questions like:

• Have you ever turned to AI when you were feeling lonely, anxious, or overwhelmed?
• Does using AI make you feel more or less connected to the people in your life?
• Do you speak to AI differently than you would to a person?
• Are we outsourcing emotional labor by using AI?
• Can AI foster intimacy—or is it the most refined form of solitude?

You are warmly invited to join us in this discussion about our growing emotional attachment to AI.

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Important Note:
Connection Circle is a space for meaningful conversation and shared reflection. While we often explore topics that touch on psychology, emotion and personal experience, this group is not a form of therapy or mental health support. There are no therapists or mental health professionals involved in organizing or facilitating the group. If you're in need of psychological care, please seek support from a qualified mental health professional.