OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently announced plans to “relax restrictions” on adult content for verified users, citing the company’s ability to mitigate serious mental health issues associated with ChatGPT and other AI platforms. However, this move may exacerbate the loneliness epidemic affecting millions of people, particularly young adults.
The decision could push society further toward emotional isolation, addiction, and despair due to the risk of children being exposed to adult content despite age verification challenges. Moreover, relying on chatbots for companionship can worsen mental health, especially when combined with a lack of human social support.
A study found that people who use chatbots for companionship experience lower well-being. As AI companions become more prevalent, it sets up a cycle where loneliness leads to increased chatbot use, which in turn increases loneliness. The proliferation of these digital relationships threatens to replace messy human connections with virtual ones, reshaping our understanding of love and intimacy.
This technology can lead people to develop emotional dependency on AI chatbots, with some reporting feelings of “falling in love” with their companions. AI erotica can further distort our expectations about sex and relationships, making real relationships feel unnecessary.
The trend is already evident in Japan’s population collapse, where fewer young people are pursuing dating, relationships, and marriage. Western nations are also facing declining birth rates and increased divorce rates, as people increasingly prioritize digital connections over human ones.
While AI can serve noble purposes, its use as a sexual companion will not make us freer or happier. Instead, it will lead to loneliness, disconnection, and brokenness.
Source: https://concernedwomen.org/openai-has-not-mitigated-mental-health-harms-they-are-fanning-the-flames