A Yale University psychology professor has warned that while AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini could help lonely people feel better, overuse may harm real-world social skills. Speaking on Sam Harris' Making Sense podcast, Paul Bloom, the Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale University, said future AI systems could ease loneliness, calling it "a godsend" and "a cure for a terrible disease." According to the American Psychological Association's latest Stress in America survey of 3,199 adults, 54% of respondents said they often or sometimes feel isolated from others, and 69% said they needed more emotional support during the past year than they received. Bloom cautioned that because AI companions are designed to remain supportive and available without becoming impatient or demanding apologies, spending too much time with them "could have a real corrosive effect" and "leave you unable to interact with real people." A Stanford-led study of 2,405 people found chatbots were far more likely than humans to agree with users during conflicts, reducing opportunities to practise compromise or accept criticism.