Zuckerberg Thinks AI Can Cure Loneliness, But Can It?

In 2004, a college kid named Mark Zuckerberg launched something called Facebook. It started off as a simple campus tool to help students see who’s dating who, who’s friends with whom, and how to feel connected, even if just virtually.

Fast forward 20 years, and Facebook (now Meta) has completely reshaped how we communicate. But it’s also sparked a wave of anxiety, disconnection, and doomscrolling no one saw coming.

Now, Zuckerberg’s back with a new pitch: AI friends.

"The average person wants more connectivity than they have."

That’s what Zuck said recently on The Dwarkesh Patel Show, while talking about Meta’s new AI tools (which already have a billion monthly users, by the way). He pointed out that most Americans have around three close friends, but actually want around fifteen.

That gap, between how connected we are vs. how connected we want to be, is where AI, he believes, can step in.

And yeah, sure, we get it. The idea sounds interesting. Safe, even. An AI friend won’t ghost you, won’t judge your music taste, and will always be there when you need to vent.

But… is that a friendship?

Didn’t social media promise the same thing?

Let’s be real. Social media was supposed to fix loneliness. It didn’t. In fact, it arguably made things worse. Scrolling through highlight reels and curated lives left many of us feeling more disconnected than ever.

So now the same guy who helped create that system wants us to believe that AI can succeed where social media failed?

Writers Walter Kirn and Matt Taibbi recently discussed this on their podcast, America This Week, and they made a pretty solid point: AI companions aren’t real companions. They're more like digital assistants wearing a “friend” mask.

Think about it, real friends annoy you sometimes. They push back. They surprise you. They’re human. You can’t just delete them when they say something you don’t like.

Zuckerberg’s vision to use AI to cure loneliness feels a bit like the movie Her, where Joaquin Phoenix’s character falls in love with his AI assistant... who’s also in love with 600 other people. It hits hard because it’s true: computers can simulate connection, but they can’t feel it.

So, based on Zuckerberg, can AI cure loneliness?

Honestly, probably not. At least not the kind of loneliness that comes from a lack of real relationships.

Tech might help us feel less alone temporarily, but what we’re really missing is a genuine, messy, human connection, something no algorithm can replicate.

At Socialode, we believe the future of connection isn’t about replacing people with bots, it’s about helping real people meet, talk, and connect in ways that feel safe, authentic, and meaningful. It’s not about “followers.” It’s about friends.

Because curing loneliness starts with being seen. For real.