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?

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?

AI can be brilliant when put to proper use but it also has some major downsides

LET COUNSELLOR KEREN LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD

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

Nikki MacLeod never thought she’d be fooled by an online dating scam, but aged 77, and just out of a 25-year relationship, the retired professor of neuroscience was lonely and vulnerable. “In June 202