Max Freeman-Mills goes back to basics online –and feels better for it

With the rise of generative AI, human-machine relationships are no longer merely a trope in sci-fi films and novels. From virtual friendships to confiding in chatbot therapists, why are so many people turning to AI for connection and companionship?

It’s Christmas Eve. You should be at home, decking the halls with boughs of holly. Or at the pub, gay apparel donned, mulled wine in hand. Instead, you’re in a queue at TK Maxx. Shuffling miserably to

Therapist. Life coach. Best friend. ChatGPT has become the go-to guy for both our trivial questions and darkest thoughts as we pursue efficiency and self-betterment. But there’s one question this (very human) writer is trying to figure out: can AI actually help?

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“There are elements of irrationality through a moment like this,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai tells the BBC. Even Big Tech bosses are starting to express nervousness about the scale of spending on AI chi