Unique Friendships Will Never Be Replaced

Writers can be replicated. TV and movie personalities will be replicated soon. Factory workers will see more automation and fewer people.

But AI will never replace your need for human friendship.

Yes, I know about Replika and other apps that can act like real humans. Yes, I know that people have made friends with the app and that a woman even divorced her husband to pursue a relationship with Replika. Yes, AI going to do more than we can imagine at this moment in May 2023.

But you are human and are made for human connections.

Democracy has freed more people to live on equal terms than humans have ever experienced in history. Our homes and workplaces in Western Civilization are often climate-controlled. We enjoy the freedom to speak our opinions. Farmers make more food with less labor and some people never leave their homes for their job.

But humans are still basically the same.

We still fight wars. Yes, they are fewer in number, but that’s because they are more lethal. We now fight more with computers and money, but we still fight. We naturally distrust people who are not like us—and sometimes it blows up into racism. We don’t forget the harm done to our ancestors by other groups of people.

And that’s why you are needed in your friendships.

Men still need men to challenge and correct them with wisdom, directness, and sometimes physical “reminders.” Your friend needs to see that he is accepted for who he is by looking into your eyes and seeing the truth. He needs a shoulder hug, a knowing smile, a fist bump, a call when things are bad, and road trips. He needs to share inside jokes, horrid sarcasm, and talk about his romantic life.

Your friendships will always require you to show up.