MIT professor Sherry Turkle argues chatbots harm human development

The book explores the appeal of chatbots, acknowledging that they fill a void in mental health access, with only about half of US people having access to a provider. However, Turkle warns that relying on technology to avoid the friction of human interaction prevents individuals from developing the capacity for solitude and mutuality. She describes the impact on children as "existential," arguing that they cannot learn trust from devices that lie without knowing it. Turkle calls for a movement to push back against chatbot use, similar to restrictions on phones in schools, emphasizing that life requires facing stress and tension rather than avoiding it through AI.