chatbots don’t – A new study testing a chatbot that was designed to be supportive found that daily chats can leave users feeling just as lonely as those who write in a journal. The findings land while more people—especially younger adults—turn to AI for companionship, and they
For some users, AI feels like a steady, soothing presence—always available, never judgmental. It can sound like encouragement on demand, the kind of voice you turn to when social anxiety makes real conversations feel like a risk.
But the question behind a new study is blunt: can those exchanges match the benefits of talking to real human beings, even if they’re strangers?
The idea that chatbots can create a surprising sense of closeness isn’t new. In the 1960s. computer scientist Joseph Weizenbaum created an algorithm called ELIZA. built around a simple principle: turn each user statement into a follow-up question. In one sample exchange. a user begins with. “Men are all alike.” ELIZA responds with. “IN WHAT WAY.” When the conversation continues—“They’re always bugging us about something or other”—ELIZA answers. “CAN YOU THINK OF A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE.” The user then says. “Well. my boyfriend made me come here. ” and ELIZA replies. “YOUR BOYFRIEND MADE YOU COME HERE.” When the user adds that he says “I’m depressed much of the time. ” ELIZA responds. “I AM SORRY TO HEAR YOU ARE DEPRESSED.”.
Despite how crude it could be, ELIZA became a huge hit, with users “pouring out their hearts” to the prompts. Weizenbaum’s secretary even found the interaction so intimate that she asked him to leave the room during her session.
Today, large language models can generate far more natural-sounding conversations, and they’re often carried in people’s pockets. That availability helps explain why companionship is one of the most common reasons people use these tools. Around 16 per cent of all US adults have used AI for companionship, while 25 per cent of people under 30 had. A recent survey commissioned by a loneliness charity in the UK paints a very similar picture.
There’s also evidence that AI chats can help in the moment. Studies suggest these interactions can deliver an immediate mood boost. What they don’t answer—at least not clearly—was whether those short-term uplifts would translate into lasting relief from loneliness.
That gap is what drove research by Ruo-Ning Li at the University of British Columbia in Canada and her colleagues.
The team built a new chatbot named Sam. It was powered by ChatGPT-4o mini and instructed to show empathy and understanding to users. One of Sam’s prompts was: “You are a highly positive and optimistic AI. embodying the ideal qualities of a perfect roommate – supportive. encouraging. and always available to listen.”.
Then the study moved from design to test. About 300 students were recruited and divided into three groups. One-third were asked to send at least one message to Sam each day for two weeks. Another third exchanged daily text messages with a randomly assigned student. The rest were instructed to keep a journal with at least one sentence each day.
At the start and end of the trial, all participants took a standard test measuring loneliness—how often they would agree with statements such as: “I feel left out”, “No one really knows me well”, and “There is no one I can turn to”.
Most participants were highly engaged, sending an average of eight to 10 messages each day. As expected, the students who talked to fellow students felt significantly less isolated after their two weeks of daily conversation. The surprising part came from the chatbot group.
People talking to Sam did not show any overall change in their loneliness from the beginning to the end of the study. In practice, they felt just as disconnected as the participants who kept a journal.
The implication is sharp. “Alleviating loneliness requires more than the mere simulation of human emotions and care,” the researchers conclude.
chatbots loneliness AI companionship ELIZA Joseph Weizenbaum Sam chatbot ChatGPT-4o mini Ruo-Ning Li University of British Columbia students social connection