AI chatbot systems such as ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot are increasingly used as confidants. This may mean the democratization of emotional support, but raises concerns about psychological and social pitfalls, particularly social isolation and loneliness. In 2023, the US Surgeon General declared the loneliness epidemic a public health problem on par with smoking and obesity. The report cited a 26% increase in premature deaths linked to smoking and the impact of loneliness. In the UK, almost half of adults, or 25.9 million people, feel lonely occasionally, sometimes, always or often. Almost 1 in 10 experience chronic loneliness, defined as feeling lonely often or always. Although many studies focus on loneliness in older adults, younger people are also affected.