I asked Chat GPT to polish up my newsletter, and this is what it wrote…

Subject: Can AI Really Cure Loneliness?

Hi there,

Over the past year, I’ve been thinking a lot about technology and loneliness. I see my grandmother chatting with Siri—finding small comfort since my grandfather passed—and I see startups pouring resources into AI companions offering social, emotional, and even romantic connections. It’s fascinating and troubling all at once.

Technology has immense social potential:

• Connection: It makes it easier to find people who share your interests, even if they’re halfway across the world. Geographic isolation, a known driver of loneliness, becomes less daunting when good internet access brings people closer.
• Distraction: On the flip side, it can sideline the riskier but more rewarding effort of building real-life connections. Tools like Replika and Character.ai promise companionship, but their primary goal isn’t your happiness—it’s their shareholders’. “The AI companion who cares” is a catchy tagline, but let’s not forget the pressure to turn a profit could skew those priorities over time.

As someone who grew up with an active fantasy world where everyone liked me (spoiler: real life doesn’t work that way), I worry about what happens when AI replaces human relationships. Will it build us up—or quietly erode our willingness to connect with real people?

But AI isn’t all bad here. What excites me is its potential as a coach for real-world connection:

• How to bow out of a social event without offending anyone.
• What to say when someone upsets you.
• How to ask someone out (without sounding like a robot).

In my experience, ChatGPT’s advice is often a little smoother, a little more confident than what comes naturally to many of us. And, crucially, it’s empathetic and generous by default.

This email? All me. Awkward edges, unpolished thoughts and all. But for fun, I asked ChatGPT to rewrite it to be “punchier, smarter, and more engaging.” If you’re curious, you can read its version [here].

If technology and connection intrigue you, I highly recommend [this article on AI and therapy].

Cheers,
Cee

P.S. If you’d like to work with a real human therapist (that’s me!) to explore connection, self-esteem, or how to navigate life’s complexities, I currently have availability on:

• Monday mornings
• Wednesdays at 5 PM
• Thursday mornings

Visit Outsider Therapy to book a session.