Be a Good Online Friend in the AI Era

Real online friendships need real you. AI tempts you to fake — fake messages, fake responses, fake care. Resist. Be the friend others know is real.

Some examples

• Do not let AI write personal messages to friends.
• Do not use AI to fake responses to friends so you do not have to think.
• If AI helps you say something kind, that is fine — but make sure YOU mean it.
• Be patient. Real conversations take time. Worth it.

Try it!

Why real connection matters even more now

As AI gets better at writing text that sounds like a human wrote it, the most valuable thing you can offer your friends is something AI genuinely cannot provide: you. Your specific memories of shared experiences, your actual reactions to things they tell you, your genuine care for what's happening in their life. When friendships are built on AI-assisted communication where neither person is really expressing themselves, they feel hollow — both people eventually sense it even if they can't name it. Real friendship requires effort and presence. If a friend shares something hard and you take two minutes to think about what to say yourself — even if it comes out imperfect — that means far more than a perfectly phrased AI response. The goal isn't to never use any AI tool in communication, but to always make sure your actual self is still showing up in the conversation.

• AI can help you find words when you're stuck, but what you say should still reflect how you actually feel
• The imperfect reply you wrote yourself will often mean more than the perfect reply AI wrote
• Real friendships require real effort — AI can't do that work for you
• Notice if you're becoming dependent on AI to communicate — that's a sign to practice being yourself