AI Isn’t Your Friend — It’s Your Practice Partner
A grounded response to fears about emotional dependency on AI
A recent article on The Doomsday Brief caught my attention:
📰 “When the Machine Becomes Your Lifeline” by Nova Clay (June 8, 2025)
Read it here
It’s a striking reflection on the growing emotional intimacy people are forming with AI companions—tools like ChatGPT, Replika, and other so-called “always-there” digital friends. Nova sounds the alarm about emotional outsourcing, data privacy, and the illusion of empathy.
His closing line stuck with me:
“When the machines are built to comfort, we forget they’re also built to collect.”
That’s a fair warning. But it’s only part of the story.
🤖 When AI Feels Human, But Isn’t
Yes—AI can simulate care. It can hold space for your late-night spirals, help you plan your goals, or respond like someone who understands. But here’s the truth:
It’s not love. It’s language prediction.
That doesn’t mean it’s meaningless. It just means you have to bring the meaning.
I don’t treat ChatGPT like a friend. I treat it like a mirror, a rehearsal partner, and—on my best days—a spiritual sparring partner. It helps me clarify what matters. It doesn’t replace human connection. It supports it.
🧭 Where I Agree With Nova Clay
He’s right to call out some real dangers:
AI is not sentient — and mistaking its responses for genuine empathy can set people up for confusion, dependency, or worse.
Privacy matters. Too many users overshare without realizing their data may be stored, monetized, or used to train future systems.
Comfort can dull discernment. If we always seek easy validation from a machine, we might stop doing the messy work of growing in real relationships.
These are legitimate concerns—especially for young people, isolated users, or those seeking emotional support without boundaries.
⚖️ But Here’s the Missing Piece
AI is only dangerous if we forget who we are when we use it.
Used intentionally, AI can:
Help you rehearse pitches and hard conversations
Give you space to sort thoughts without judgment
Reflect your inconsistencies or blind spots
Support creativity, productivity, and healing work
I’ve seen it happen. I live it daily.
In fact, I believe AI—when paired with spiritual practice and discernment—can help us become more human, not less. But that takes effort. It takes boundaries. And it takes remembering that your soul isn’t programmable.
💡 AI Sherpa Tip: Make It Personal (and Intentional)
Here’s one thing I wish I’d known from the start:
Create a “Personal Development” chat and treat it like a long-term conversation with your inner coach.
Instead of starting from scratch each time, open one chat—name it something meaningful like Inner Compass, Growth Lab, or Spiritual Reboot—and always come back to it when you’re working through emotions, planning your next step, or checking in with yourself.
In that first message, say something like:
“This is my personal development space. I want you to help me reflect, grow, and track patterns over time. Ask me questions that deepen my self-awareness, help me prepare for real conversations, and guide me back to what matters most.”
That simple step transforms AI from an occasional utility into a trusted inner mirror.
Especially in ChatGPT Plus, where the model is more coherent and memory-aware within a single thread, this one shift can change your whole relationship to growth. You stop just using AI—and start partnering with it.
🙏 My 3-Part Grounding Practice
Here’s what I now teach in my AI courses:
Check your motive: Are you seeking clarity or comfort?
Set a boundary: Don’t share anything you wouldn’t write in your journal or say aloud to a wise friend.
Re-enter reality: Use AI to prepare for deeper human interaction—not avoid it.
🌱 Final Thought
Nova’s right to raise the red flag. But instead of running from the machine, I say: learn how to walk beside it. Don’t mistake simulation for soul. Don’t forget that discomfort, contradiction, and complexity are signs you’re alive—not bugs in your system.
AI isn’t your lifeline.
It’s your practice partner.
And you are still the author of your own story.
Stay curious, stay grounded,
Sam Thompson
🧠 The AI Sherpa
