Category: Relationships

^{Type
post

Andrew McDiarmid
Date
September 22, 2026

Categorized
Relationships

Tagged
Anti-social behavior, Communication, Silicon Valley, Spoken words, Study, Young adults}

Americans Are Saying 28% Fewer Words to Each Other — Blame Silicon Valley

_{Then COVID came along and isolation and loneliness got a lot worse} _{Andrew McDiarmid
September 22, 2026

4

Relationships}

Electronic messaging is now our default way to communicate, and very day, more than 360 billion emails are sent and 27 billion texts are exchanged.

A young girl's affectionate hug for a robot highlights the deep bond between humans and their robotic childminders, which are designed to mimic human emotions and provide companionship

^{Type
post

Andrew McDiarmid
Date
September 17, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Psychology, Relationships

Tagged
AI relationships, Anxiety, Depression, Dwarkesh Patel, Facebook and teens, Mark Zuckerberg, Vivek Murthy, Wall Street Journal (on Facebook/Meta)}

No, Mark Zuckerberg, AI ‘Friends’ Are Not Good for Mental Health

_{Think you could use a few more friends? Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says AI will do the trick} _{Andrew McDiarmid
September 17, 2026

5

Artificial Intelligence, Psychology, Relationships}

Meta has made billions of dollars monetizing our attention. Why not monetize our loneliness, too?

Young person overwhelmed by constant social media notifications, depicting the anxiety and mental health toll of digital addiction and online pressure

^{Type
post

News
Date
August 24, 2026

Categorized
Psychology, Relationships, Social Media

Tagged
Andrew McDiarmid, David Klinghoffer, Friend AI necklace}

The New Friend Necklace: Isn’t This Really Anti-Social Media?

_{Americans are talking to each other less as technologies consume more and more personal time. This is the latest in the barrage} _{News
August 24, 2026

2

Psychology, Relationships, Social Media}

Andrew McDiarmid has become a prophetic voice warning against developments like this from the tech world.

Small lonely toy robot sitting on window sill looking at sunset with warm orange copy-space. AI and feelings, emotions concepts.

^{Type
post

Denyse O'Leary
Date
August 22, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Large Language Models (LLMs), Psychology, Relationships

Tagged
DeepBrain AI, Egon Cossou, Ghosts of Hologram House, Grieftech, Grieftech (firm), James Oaten, Ken Francis, Sookyoung Lee, Wiliam Hunter}

How Our Tech-Obsessed Age Responds to Grief: Grieftech

_{Just when we thought that the chatbot craze couldn’t get crazier — departed loved ones get uploaded as chatbots} _{Denyse O'Leary
August 22, 2026

5

Artificial Intelligence, Large Language Models (LLMs), Psychology, Relationships}

Grieftech poses genuine problems when avatars seem to keep the deceased unchanged in a changing world — or change just when we want them to.

^{Type
post

Peter Biles
Date
November 25, 2025

Categorized
Relationships, Social Media

Tagged
AI, Facebook, Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg, mental health, Meta, social media, Tech Addiction, Technology}

New Allegations Claim Meta Dismissed Risks to Children

_{New complaints, same story: Meta cares more about business growth than protecting kids} _{Peter Biles
November 25, 2025

3

Relationships, Social Media}

This new litany of complaints feels like it will be a lot tougher for the tech behemoth to successfully battle.

Woman chained to a laptop, symbolizing internet and social media addiction. Generated by AI

^{Type
post

Doug Smith
Date
November 2, 2025

Categorized
Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), Mental health, Relationships

Tagged
Gloo, Marshall McLuhan, Neil Postman, Pat Gelsinger, Tool trope}

Should Christians Harness AI Chatbots As A Force For Good? Part 1

_{In response to claims from a Christian ministry, as a Christian software developer, I offer some serious cautions} _{Doug Smith
November 2, 2025

6

Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), Mental health, Relationships}

A technology like generative AI, which deceives us by feeling person-like, harms us in ways that are categorically different from any other.

mysterious empty directors chair on a dimly lit abandoned film set shadows and vintage equipment create an atmospheric scene of cinematic nostalgia

^{Type
post

Wesley J. Smith
Date
October 19, 2025

Categorized
Ethics, Law, Medicine and Health, Relationships

Tagged
Annette Bening, Assisted Suicide, George Clooney, Hollywood and assisted suicide, In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss (2022), Kulturesmog, R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr.}

Hollywood A Listers To Star in a Pro-Assisted Suicide Movie

_{How many pro-euthanasia movies/TV episodes have there been? How many with the opposite message?} _{Wesley J. Smith
October 19, 2025

2

Ethics, Law, Medicine and Health, Relationships}

There are plenty of dramatic stories illustrating the abuses and dangers of assisted suicide, just waiting to be told, but Hollywood won’t tell them.

^{Type
post

News
Date
October 19, 2025

Categorized
Philosophy, Relationships

Tagged
John Templeton (1912‒2008), Jonathan Haidt, Love and social bonding, M. Scott Peck (1936‒2005), Marc Chagall (1887‒1985), Michael Egnor, Pure Unlimited Love (book 2025), René Girard (1923‒2015), Stephen Post, W. H. Auden (1907‒1973)}

Stephen Post and Michael Egnor: Restoring Community Amid Division

_{In the dialogue on his new book, Dr. Post defines love simply: when the well-being of another person becomes as real and meaningful to you as your own, you love that person} _{News
October 19, 2025

6

Philosophy, Relationships}

Michael Egnor adds that classical philosophers defined love as “willing the good of the other,” not merely liking someone and Stephen Post agrees.

Man working online from home with pet using laptop Ginger cat looks at screen interested in computer Interrupting while working on internet : Generative AI

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post

News
Date
October 11, 2025

Categorized
Addiction, Artificial Intelligence, Relationships

Tagged
Andrew McDiarmid, Character.AI, I and Thou (1923), Janet Parshall, Leo Buscaglia (1924-1998), Martin Buber (1878-1965), relational AI, Sewell Setzer}

AI’s Sweet Talk: How Artificial Companions Steal Our Humanity

_{Andrew McDiarmid and Janet Parshall discuss the sometimes tragic consequences of needy people becoming dependent on AI-fueled fantasy relationships} _{News
October 11, 2025

6

Addiction, Artificial Intelligence, Relationships}

Fourteen-year-old Sewell Setzer’s suicide in Orlando offered a window into the problem of lonely people confusing confuse digital imitation with real intimacy.

^{Type
post

News
Date
September 29, 2025

Categorized
Philosophy, Psychology, Relationships

Tagged
Atomistic view of person, Brian Krouse, Eric Jones, Harvard Grant Study, Michelangelo effect, Milgram obedience experiments, Minding the Brain (Discovery Institute Press 2023), Relational view of person, Robert J. Marks}

Personhood: What it really means to be human

_{Are we more like detachable Lego bricks or like parts of a body? A Mind Matters News podcast with Eric Jones explores this} _{News
September 29, 2025

5

Philosophy, Psychology, Relationships}

The relational model has practical consequences. It considers flourishing as less about “me” and more about “we.”

^{Type
post

News
Date
September 12, 2025

Categorized
Politics, Relationships

Tagged
Charlie Kirk, Eric Ruff}

Charlie Kirk Shooting: A Reader Who Lives Nearby Reflects

_{"Our kids had friends at the event on the university campus. My son's brother-in-law is a police officer who was on scene"} _{News
September 12, 2025

4

Politics, Relationships}

The local elementary school went on lockdown due to the killer running, possibly in their direction, who was assumed to still be armed.

Dark fantasy forest. River in the forest with stones on the shore. Moonlight, night forest landscape. Smoke, smog, fog. Bridge over river. Fantasy landscape. 3D illustration.

^{Type
post

News
Date
September 3, 2025

Categorized
Large Language Models (LLMs), Medicine and Health, Relationships

Tagged
ChatGPT, Copilot, David Klinghoffer, John West, Mustafa Suleyman, Stein-Erik Soelberg}

In Connecticut, the Horrors of AI Descend with Full Force

_{AI as “friends” and “confidants”? David Klinghoffer warns that this way of talking and thinking needs to be recognized as encouraging delusion} _{News
September 3, 2025

7

Large Language Models (LLMs), Medicine and Health, Relationships}

As John West writes, “essentially OpenAI is using its technology as a replacement for human counselors and advisors.”

Artificial intelligence chat bot connected to computer processing unit

^{Type
post

Peter Biles
Date
August 25, 2025

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Relationships

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Consciousness, Google, Science fiction, Tech, Technology}

AI: Tool or Companion?

_{Personalized AI systems only make sense in a friendless society.} _{Peter Biles
August 25, 2025

3

Artificial Intelligence, Relationships}

One of the problems of AI-human “relationships” is that, by definition, we cannot relate to a computer, nor can a computer relate to us.

Robot Therapist AI Mental Healthcare Concept Future Psychology Support Empathy Technology Listening Session

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post

News
Date
August 20, 2025

Categorized
Artificial general intelligence (AGI), Business and Finance, Large Language Models (LLMs), Psychology, Relationships

Tagged
AI and values, AI bubble, AI therapists, Chris Rufo, Gary Marcus, Geoffrey Hinton, J. David Creswell, Maggie Harrison Dupré, My Boyfriend Is AI (Reddit), Sam Altman}

AI Is Impacting Our Culture — But Not As We Were Told To Expect

_{Okay, your boss is not a robot. Your doctor is not a chatbot. But here are some things that are actually happening that we might not have expected} _{News
August 20, 2025

5

Artificial general intelligence (AGI), Business and Finance, Large Language Models (LLMs), Psychology, Relationships}

One change is that Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT-5, seems to be acknowledging that the AI bubble might soon burst.

Person uses laptop interacting with AI virtual assistant. AI head graphic overlay laptop keyboard. Concept of AI prompt engineering, LLM. Person types on keyboard to communicate with virtual

^{Type
post

Doug Smith
Date
June 5, 2025

Categorized
Creativity, Large Language Models (LLMs), Relationships

Tagged
Esther Meek, GenAI as non-neutral tool, Jeremy Utley}

Should We Use Generative AI Chatbots to Spark Our Creativity?

_{What if we become so disconnected from human ways of knowing that real life relationships, desires, and reality itself begins to shrivel away?} _{Doug Smith
June 5, 2025

8

Creativity, Large Language Models (LLMs), Relationships}

Jeremy Utley uses unmistakably spiritual, almost salvation-like language: epiphanies, transformation. GenAI is a savior, and Utley is a prophet…

Positive cute robot pointing at a space. Copy space, ai generated

^{Type
post

Peter Biles
Date
May 29, 2025

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Relationships

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Google, Technology}

Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4 Can Deceive and Blackmail

_{Is AI getting out of control?} _{Peter Biles
May 29, 2025

3

Artificial Intelligence, Relationships}

In a bizarre twist, Opus threatened to expose a fictional affair if it were to lose its spot to another AI system.

Adorable AI Robot with Neon Glow - Cute Desk Companion Robot for Smart Home Decor - Futuristic Robot Design for Tech-Themed Spaces Neon Robot Design Cute AI Robot Decor Modern Tech Companion

^{Type
post

News
Date
May 28, 2025

Categorized
Large Language Models (LLMs), Relationships

Tagged
ELIZA, Gary Smith, Joseph Weizenbaum (1923–2008), Mihai Andrei, Rupert Lane}

1960s Chatbot Pioneer Was Right to Worry About What He’d Created

_{AI “companions” may be dumbing us down intellectually and emotionally} _{News
May 28, 2025

4

Large Language Models (LLMs), Relationships}

MIT’s Joseph Weizenbaum was only one of many pioneers but he saw how readily people came to depend on the bots as if they were real people.

Group of youth absorbed in smartphone screens

^{Type
post

Gary Smith
Date
May 28, 2025

Categorized
Addiction, Education, Large Language Models (LLMs), Relationships

Tagged
AI friends, Elon Musk, Featured, Jeff Hammerbacher, Sam Altman, Smartphone addiction}

LLMs Are Bad at Good Things, Good at Bad Things

_{LLMs may well become smarter than humans in the near future but not because these chatbots are becoming more intelligent} _{Gary Smith
May 28, 2025

5

Addiction, Education, Large Language Models (LLMs), Relationships}

As people become attached to and dependent on their AI friends, they become less interested in their fellow humans.

Portrait, running and group on a track, exercise and workout goal with motivation, happiness and race. Face, man or women outdoor, run or race for training, fitness and health with wellness and smile

^{Type
post

Andrew McDiarmid
Date
May 25, 2025

Categorized
Relationships, Social Media

Tagged
AI "friends", Depression increase, Dwarkesh Patel, Loneliness epidemic, Mark Zuckerberg, Vivek Murthy}

No Mark Zuckerberg, AI ‘Friends’ Are Not Good for Mental Health

_{Zuckerberg's proposed AI friends will not alleviate the epidemic of loneliness and depression and I can tell you a few reasons why} _{Andrew McDiarmid
May 25, 2025

5

Relationships, Social Media}

His solution?: More technology, not less. Meta has made billions of dollars monetizing our attention. Why not monetize our loneliness, too?

Illuminated cityscape on digital network, futuristic scene

^{Type
post

Erik J. Larson
Date
May 18, 2025

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Large Language Models (LLMs), Relationships, Social Media, Surveillance, Virtual Reality

Tagged
Charles Horton Cooley, Harold Innis, Lewis Mumford, Marshall McLuhan, Neil Postman, Nicholas Carr, Sherry Turkle, Shoshana Zuboff, Superbloom (Norton 2025), Surveillance Capitalism (Public Affairs 2019), Susan Sontag, The Big Switch (Norton 2008), The Glass Cage (Norton 2014), The Shallows (Norton 2010), Walter Lippmann}

The Last Humanist: What the Digital Age Can’t Replace

_{My review of Superbloom by Nicholas Carr, perhaps the last critic standing, with thoughts on some of his earlier books} _{Erik J. Larson
May 18, 2025

11

Arts & Culture, Large Language Models (LLMs), Relationships, Social Media, Surveillance, Virtual Reality}

Unlike the surveillance capitalism crowd, Carr doesn’t just rail against Big Tech’s designs; he interrogates our willing participation.