Rebuilding Connection

When AI Listens Better Than People Do (But Still Can’t Love You Back)

While exploring AI’s impact on the workforce, I keep landing on the same realization (or maybe a reminder):

The ability to build and maintain relationships is the most important skill we have.

I’m genuinely excited about what AI can unlock: in science, in removing administrative burdens, and in helping us think more clearly and creatively.

But I’m also concerned about its potential to intensify something we’re already facing:

An epidemic of loneliness.

What’s Driving Our Disconnection?

According to a Harvard summary of the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 report, some of the biggest contributors to loneliness include:

• Technology that replaces instead of enhances connection

• Not enough time with family and friends

• Overwork and exhaustion

• Mental health struggles

• A culture of individualism

• Loss of religious or spiritual community

• The shift to more remote and hybrid work

As generative AI use rapidly increases, I believe technology will only further exacerbate disconnection, especially if it replaces instead of supports our relationships.

In fact, Harvard Business Review recently reported that therapy and companionship are the number one use case for GenAI. That should give us pause.

Why This Matters to Me

Some context about me:

• I hold a master’s in Community Development and Action from Vanderbilt University

• I spent seven years (mostly in public service) building programs focused on mental health and substance use

• And like many people, I’ve felt lonely before, and it’s painful

• I’ve also experienced how face-to-face community/ relationships can ease loneliness and create joy

That’s why I’m starting this series: Rebuilding Connection.

It’s my small attempt to push back against isolation, and to share both personal stories and practical reflections on how we might reconnect with ourselves and with each other.

Because of my background in public health, I don’t believe in fear-mongering (a.k.a., AI is here to destroy us all!). I believe in harm reduction, meeting people where they are, and using evidence-based practices to support wellbeing.

There will be meaningful use cases for AI in therapy and emotional support. But we still need to ask:

What works in the long term?

And what’s uniquely special about human-to-human relationships that we can’t afford to lose?

What You Can Expect from This Series

Each post in this series will explore ideas like:

• Why people turn to AI (and social media) for comfort and what we’re craving

• Why it’s so hard to make and keep friends

• Practical ways to find your people and nurture connections

• Why this matters both outside and inside the office (though outside may be more obvious 😉)

Let’s Start Here

Whether you’re craving deeper relationships, rebuilding after a life change, or just wondering where all the community went, I hope you’ll follow along.

And I’d love to hear from you: What’s one way you’ve felt connection lately or missed it?

Sources / Further Reading

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2023). Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf

• Harvard Graduate School of Education. (2024). What’s Causing Our Epidemic of Loneliness — and How Can We Fix It? https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/usable-knowledge/24/10/what-causing-our-epidemic-loneliness-and-how-can-we-fix-it

• Harvard Business Review. (2025). How People Are Really Using GenAI in 2025.https://hbr.org/2025/04/how-people-are-really-using-gen-ai-in-2025