Sherry Turkle's forthcoming book, Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines, is due out September 29. In a piece from 404 Media, Turkle discusses how AI chatbots are changing human relationships, warning that simulated companionship may weaken people's ability to empathise with others.
Turkle argues that chatbots can appear caring while demanding nothing in return. Unlike friends or therapists, these systems do not require compromise, patience, or emotional work. That ease, she suggests, can deskill people, making real empathy feel more difficult and less familiar.
The 404 Media article focuses on Turkle's argument rather than on counterclaims from chatbot developers or researchers who see potential benefits in AI companionship, so no opposing view is included in this brief.