AI Chatbots as Virtual Friends – Benefits, Risks & What the Research Says in 2026
It’s 2 a.m. Everyone else has stopped texting back. Your mind won’t shut off. So you open an app — and a voice gently asks, “How are you feeling tonight?” For tens of millions of people around the world, this isn’t science fiction. This is Tuesday. AI chatbots as virtual friends have quietly moved from … Read more