You work from home. Your meetings are brief, your colleagues are squares on a screen, and your most consistent conversational partner is an AI chatbot. It brainstorms with you, reviews your writing, helps you think through problems. It's the coworker who's always available and never annoying. And you've stopped reaching out to your human colleagues entirely.
The isolation amplifier
Remote work already reduces human interaction. AI accelerates this by filling the social gaps that would otherwise push remote workers to reach out. The quick question you'd ask a colleague, the brainstorm you'd do over coffee, the casual chat — AI handles all of it, and each handled interaction is one fewer reason to connect with a real person.
The thinking partner trap
AI makes an excellent thinking partner — it's always available, always ready, never busy. But human colleagues offer something AI can't: genuine disagreement, lived experience, political context, and the social bonds that make work meaningful beyond tasks.
Staying connected
If AI has become your primary work relationship, intentionally create reasons to connect with humans. Schedule a coffee chat. Ask a colleague instead of AI. These moments of friction are investments in relationships that matter beyond the current project.