COVID has accelerated the already prominent trend of digitally induced isolation, but technology may have a solution on the horizon.
An Armenian company has developed a companion robot with A.I.-based behavioral technology that interacts with and comforts children during their hospitalizations and/or medical treatments.
Lonely narcissists can become famous and adored by millions of fans with the Botnet app, a social network simulator in which the user is the only human among a network of a million bot followers.
And the long-popular hand-held digital pet Tamagotchi now has digital capabilities that lets Tamagotchi owners connect with other owners to play games and enjoy virtual relationships via their Tamagotchi pets.