@osxreverser your point is valid, but it's this allure: if you suck at something, instantly being able to pump out some average slop is a huge step up.

my guess is that the people who are making connections with bots weren't social butterflies before, but just talking with anything that responds to them is a huge step up. that's the most scary thing to me: a society where paucity of human connection leads to bot friends