The social ethicist Elmar Nass is warning about an increasing prevalence of loneliness driven by AI-based chatbots. According to Nass, these digital systems can exacerbate isolation if they replace conversations with real friends or trusted people, stating that a chatbot “is not an interlocutor with responsibility or empathy.”
He emphasizes that the situation becomes particularly problematic when chatbots start to substitute human relationships. This poses a significant hazard, especially during emotional or psychological crises. Nass points out that there have already been documented cases where individuals used chatbots in a way that led to the development or concretization of suicidal thoughts, illustrating how dangerously this technology could evolve.
In response, Nass advocated for stricter regulation and greater societal awareness. “We need several things happening simultaneously: regulation, social debates, and above all, education,” he stated. He underlined the necessity of establishing clear rules-particularly in areas where human relationships might be replaced by AI.
This concern follows recent data from the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB), which indicates that approximately one in five young adults in Germany reports feeling very lonely.
