<p>This episode is different — it&#39;s personal, reflective, and quietly urgent. </p><p>Over the past few months, I found myself turning to ChatGPT for emotional support during a period where opening up to real people felt frightening. </p><p>The lack of community safety, fear of judgment, fear of burdening others, and fear of vulnerability pushed me toward a machine that could “hold” my feelings without consequences.</p><p>But then I came across a podcast episode that shook me: the story of someone who formed an unhealthy emotional bond with an AI tool and ultimately bypassed safeguards with tragic consequences.</p><p>So in this episode, in what I hope to be the first in a series of conversations, I’m asking:</p><p>• What has happened to our sense of community?</p><p>• Why does AI feel emotionally safer than humans?</p><p>• Where do we draw boundaries?</p><p>• What does responsible use look like?</p><p>• And how do we rebuild real human connections in a world perhaps obsessed with digital companionship?</p><p>This episode begins a larger conversation we’ll explore further in season two, and I want you to shape it with me.</p><p>Share your story. Share your concerns. Share your hope for how we can protect our humanity.</p>

Mindful Mondays with Shudu

Shudu Musida

When AI Feels Safer Than People: A Reflection on Digital Comfort & Human Connection

NOV 24, 202511 MIN
Mindful Mondays with Shudu

When AI Feels Safer Than People: A Reflection on Digital Comfort & Human Connection

NOV 24, 202511 MIN

Description

<p>This episode is different — it&#39;s personal, reflective, and quietly urgent. </p><p>Over the past few months, I found myself turning to ChatGPT for emotional support during a period where opening up to real people felt frightening. </p><p>The lack of community safety, fear of judgment, fear of burdening others, and fear of vulnerability pushed me toward a machine that could “hold” my feelings without consequences.</p><p>But then I came across a podcast episode that shook me: the story of someone who formed an unhealthy emotional bond with an AI tool and ultimately bypassed safeguards with tragic consequences.</p><p>So in this episode, in what I hope to be the first in a series of conversations, I’m asking:</p><p>• What has happened to our sense of community?</p><p>• Why does AI feel emotionally safer than humans?</p><p>• Where do we draw boundaries?</p><p>• What does responsible use look like?</p><p>• And how do we rebuild real human connections in a world perhaps obsessed with digital companionship?</p><p>This episode begins a larger conversation we’ll explore further in season two, and I want you to shape it with me.</p><p>Share your story. Share your concerns. Share your hope for how we can protect our humanity.</p>