According to government figures, in the past year 33-percent of us have turned to an AI chatbot for companionship and emotional support—that’s every third person you pass in the street. Friendship Lab founder Sheridan Voysey joined BBC Radio 2’s Sara Cox Breakfast Show for a chat about the trend.Real friendship is costly. It means making time for video calls, coffee dates, dog walks and hospital visits, calling our friend when we’d rather text and visiting when we’d rather call. It means spending energy listening deeply and offering apologies when we we’re wrong—the kind of qualities engaging a chatbot erodes in us. By placing us in a one-way relationship, chatbot friendship deepens our loneliness by removing the self-giving love friendship requires.Take a listen to Sheridan’s Pause for Thought spot.<h2 id="0ff886d9-8720-498a-afc1-0e6382f63d10" data-toc-id="0ff886d9-8720-498a-afc1-0e6382f63d10" style="text-align: center; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.2;"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0pdxpb6">Listen Now</a></h2>

Sheridan joins BBC Radio 2's Sara Cox Breakfast Show to talk about friendship, chatbots, and what only human relationships can offer.

Every Third Person You Pass Today is Looking for Connection (BBC Radio 2)

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Every Third Person You Pass Today is Looking for Connection (BBC Radio 2)

Every Third Person You Pass Today is Looking for Connection (BBC Radio 2)

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