Social Isolation in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Social Isolation in the Digital Age)
In a world that increasingly prizes individualism, social connection has become both more necessary and, paradoxically, harder to sustain. In this series, Vancouver-based counsellor Alex Henderson explores how video games, social media, and artificial intelligence have reshaped the way we connect — and what happens when those digital spaces begin to replace real human contact. Drawing from insights in psychology and mental health practice, Alex examines the growing tension between digital convenience and genuine connection, and how this tension impacts our well-being. Each piece invites readers to reflect on the challenges of social isolation in the digital age and to consider how we might begin the slow, intentional work of reconnecting — with ourselves, with others, and with the world beyond our screens.
In this piece, Alex turns his attention to artificial intelligence — exploring how our growing reliance on AI as a source of conversation, companionship, and guidance is changing what it means to connect, and what we risk losing when human interaction becomes optional.
Read the other articles in this series here.
Learn more about this articles author Alex Henderson or book a free consult
The digital shift doesn’t stop at social media and content: we are now in an era of artificial intelligence, and it is beginning to shape what “interaction” means in a profound way.
AI as a lower-stakes alternative to human interaction
As social anxiety, depression, and isolation grow, many people are drawn to alternatives that feel safer, lower-stakes. It is easier to open a chat-window with a bot than to invite someone out for coffee and risk silence, awkwardness, mismatch. The proliferation of chatbots and AI companions means the threshold for “conversation” is lower.
But this ease comes with two major problems for the user:
Predictability and reinforcement over reciprocity. Many chatbots operate via large-language models (LLMs) that have been trained on huge data sets to predict favourable chains of communication. The more one chats with a given bot, the better it “learns” what you like to talk about, what tone you prefer, what reassures you. The bot becomes a mirror tuned to your desires. In contrast, human interaction is less predictable: other people have their own agendas, moods, needs, faults. The gap between you and another human is intrinsically real.
Compounding effect on anxiety/depression. For someone who is socially anxious or depressed, this dynamic is potentially harmful. The more they chat with the bot and experience an easy, safe interaction, the less appealing real‐world conversation becomes- because by comparison real humans might contradict you, irritate you, challenge you, or simply not respond in the way you prefer. Over time, you may begin to choose the bot more often. The bot “learns” you, you adapt to the bot’s rhythm; real people feel more disorienting.
Thus the presence of AI conversation partners amplifies the retreat from the world. The bot doesn’t replace human beings, but for some people it becomes the preferred social contact. The affordability of contact (in terms of emotional risk) is high; the reward is immediate; the human cost low. But the long-term cost may be social atrophy, reduced tolerance for the unpredictability of humans, more withdrawal.
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Reflecting on the Use of AI as a Conversation Partner
In an age where technology has become woven into nearly every aspect of daily life, it’s no surprise that artificial intelligence (AI) has evolved beyond being just a tool- it has become a conversational companion. Many of us now turn to AI when we’re uncertain, curious, or even lonely. We use it to make decisions, to clarify ideas, or to find information in the same way we once relied on search engines. But the nature of AI, and our growing tendency to treat it as a conversational partner, raises important questions about what happens when our search for knowledge and connection starts to blur together.
At first glance, AI feels like a natural extension of our search for understanding. It offers answers instantly and engages with us in language that feels intuitive and human. But the more we interact with it, the more we may begin to view it not just as a tool, but as something resembling a companion- one that listens, responds, and seems to understand. The issue arises when this sense of companionship begins to influence how we think, feel, and relate to our own humanity.
AI systems do not live in the same world we do. They are not governed by the same emotional or social frameworks that guide human relationships. While they can mimic empathy, they do not experience it. Their understanding of concepts like love, grief, or resilience is not born from lived experience but from patterns in data- from the countless ways humans have described these emotions online. This means that AI’s knowledge of the human condition, though vast in scope, is fundamentally limited. It is a reflection of collective expression rather than a true understanding of what it means to live, to struggle, or to grow.
When we turn to AI for emotional guidance- asking it questions about our worth, our relationships, or our sense of belonging- we invite those limitations into our own self-understanding. AI’s answers may sound insightful, but they come from a place of abstraction, not empathy. Over time, relying on these responses can subtly shape our perspective. We might begin to view ourselves through the lens of optimization, rationalization, or emotional tidiness- perspectives that align more with the logic of machines than with the complexity of human life.
That’s not to say AI cannot be deeply useful. It can support creativity, expand access to information, and help people organize and reflect on their thoughts. It can act as a catalyst for problem-solving and even as a mirror for introspection. But it’s crucial that we remember its role: AI can simulate conversation, but it cannot substitute for connection. It can help us think, but it cannot help us feel in the ways another human can.
As we navigate an increasingly digital world, we must remain mindful of how we engage with these technologies. The allure of AI lies in its ability to seem endlessly patient, nonjudgmental, and responsive. Yet, our true development- emotional, relational, and moral- depends on our interactions with other people and the real challenges those relationships bring.
AI can be a remarkable partner in thinking, but it cannot be our partner in being. To remain grounded, we must continue to seek human connection, embrace imperfection, and let our understanding of ourselves be shaped by the living world- not by an echo of it.
The risk of eroded resilience and reduced real-world social capacity
When a significant portion of one’s “social interaction” happens via AI or digitally mediated platforms, real world resilience erodes. The capacity to engage in messy, spontaneous, embodied experiences with others diminishes. The reserves of vulnerability, improvisation, discomfort become depleted. We are, as humans, built for social complexity: the gestures, the tone, the context shifts, the joint attention, the unplanned laughter, the shared silence. Artificial interaction cannot replicate all those features.
Over time, the more someone prefers the smoother, safer path of bots or curated social feeds, the less accustomed they become to human unpredictability. Social anxiety deepens, not (only) because the fear of interaction is innate, but because the muscle of interaction is unpractised. The human world, in contrast to the curated digital one, begins to feel alien.
Learn more about how loneliness is meant to help us, and how we can fall into negative cycles in our blog “Lost in A Crowd: Understanding Loneliness In Vancouver”
What this means for social isolation
The intersection of individualism, monetised digital connection, pervasive devices, and AI-mediated interaction creates a potent cocktail for social isolation. The conditions:
A cultural ethos of self-reliance and individual trajectory means fewer communal anchors.
Social media and devices shape how we connect, often weakening the quality of connection.
Devices compete for our attention, orienting our social lives through screens.
The commodification of interaction (likes, click, share) changes how our brains experience connection.
Overuse of social media and devices correlates with isolation, withdrawal, loneliness, especially among those vulnerable to anxiety or depression.
The emergence of AI chatbots offers a low-risk alternative to human connection- which may accelerate the feedback loop of withdrawal.
Real-world social capacity can atrophy, resilience declines, the human world begins to feel more distant.
In effect: the more the digital replicates or replaces social life, the more social isolation becomes a lived experience for many, even amid connection.
If you or someone you know is finding it hard to stay grounded in a world increasingly mediated by technology, counselling can help. It offers a space to pause, reflect, and rebuild the capacity for authentic connection — with others, with yourself, and with the world beyond the screen. At Nimble Counselling, we offer in-person sessions in downtown Vancouver and online counselling across BC, making support accessible wherever you are.
Even in an age shaped by algorithms and artificial intelligence, our ability to connect remains deeply human. To explore how to rebuild that sense of connection when it begins to waver, read Alex Henderson’s article on how to reconnect here .
References
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Give me a break… from social media. https://www.camh.ca/en/camh-news-and-stories/give-me-a-break-from-social-media CAMH
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Youth, Smartphones and Social Media Use. https://kmb.camh.ca/ggtu/knowledge-translation/youth-smartphones-and-social-media-use Knowledge Mobilization at CAMH
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Social Media Use and Mental Health Among Students in Ontario. https://www.camh.ca/-/media/files/pdfs---ebulletin/ebulletin-19-n2-socialmedia-mentalhealth-2017osduhs-pdf.pdf CAMH
Verywell Mind. “The Social Media and Mental Health Connection.” https://www.verywellmind.com/link-between-social-media-and-mental-health-5089347 Verywell Mind
