{ "success": true, "data": { "id": 1918625, "msgid": "ai-has-no-feelings-so-why-do-we-feel-understood-1786675993", "date": "2026-08-14 08:36:42", "title": "AI Has No Feelings, So Why Do We Feel Understood?", "author": "Retizen", "source": "REPUBLIKA", "tags": "", "topic": "Technology", "summary": "A growing number of young Indonesians are turning to AI chatbots for emotional support, with some even considering them as alternatives to psychologists. The trend is driven by perceptions of AI as non-judgemental, always available, and better at keeping secrets, highlighting a societal struggle with loneliness and the difficulty of confiding in other people.", "content": "

Imagine it is 1:17 a.m. There are many names in your WhatsApp contact\nlist, but none feel easy to reach. Contacting a friend might disturb\nthem. Telling family feels too complicated. Writing on social media is\ntoo public. Seeing a psychologist requires both money and a certain\ncourage. In the end, someone opens an artificial intelligence (AI)\nchatbot and types a simple sentence: \u201cI\u2019m so tired. Can you just\nlisten?\u201d A few seconds later, a reply appears. There is no look of\nsurprise. No sentence like, \u201cYou\u2019re overthinking it.\u201d No story cut short\nto be compared with someone else\u2019s experience. No worry that the secret\nwill become gossip. The AI responds calmly, then asks what you are\nreally feeling. This situation might have sounded strange a few years\nago. Now, it is becoming part of digital life. A Snapcart survey of\n3,611 Indonesian respondents in April 2025 showed that 43 per cent\nfrequently use AI in their daily lives and 41 per cent have used it\noccasionally. Usage was highest among Gen Z, aged 13 to 24, with 50 per\ncent of respondents in this group saying they use AI often. More\ninterestingly, 6 per cent of all respondents use AI as a \u201cfriend\u201d to\ntalk to and share their feelings. Of this group that uses AI to confide\nin, 58 per cent have considered AI as a possible replacement for a\npsychologist. This 58 per cent figure must be read carefully. It does\nnot mean 58 per cent of Indonesians want to replace psychologists with\nAI. The percentage only comes from the group of respondents who\npreviously stated they use AI to talk and share feelings. Yet, it is\nprecisely within this small group that a far more interesting question\narises than simply how many people use AI. Why would someone feel more\ncomfortable telling the most personal parts of their life to something\nthat has no feelings at all? Humans do not always talk because they need\na solution. Sometimes, a person already knows what to do. The problem\nis, they just want to be heard. There are days when advice feels\nexhausting. There are times when the phrase \u201ctry to be grateful\u201d does\nnot help. There are also situations when someone is not ready to receive\na solution because they are still trying to understand what they are\nfeeling. At such points, the presence of a party willing to listen\nwithout rushing to judge can feel more meaningful than even the smartest\nanswer. This phenomenon was observed in qualitative research involving\nten chatbot users aged 18 to 23 in Bandung. The participants did not\nview the chatbot merely as a source of information. They also used it as\na personal assistant, a discussion partner, and a communication space\nthat felt emotionally comfortable. The speed of response, flexibility,\nand the perception that the chatbot is non-judgemental led to repeated\ninteractions, whether for academic matters, daily life, or personal\nissues. The participants still acknowledged concerns about privacy,\ndependency, and the inherently artificial nature of the AI\u2019s empathy.\nThese findings point to a certain irony. AI was created to process\nlanguage, but some humans use it to process feelings. The issue may not\nbe that AI has suddenly become \u201cmore human\u201d. It could be that\ncommunication between humans feels increasingly difficult. An academic\narticle specifically discussing the use of generative AI as a confidant\nfor young people in Bandung highlights cultural factors such as\nsungkan<\/em> and tidak enakan<\/em> (reluctance and fear of\nimposing). A person may hold back from sharing because they worry about\nbeing a burden, fear being judged as weak, or do not want to trouble\nthose closest to them. AI offers a space that feels more private, fast,\nand free from such social pressures. The statement \u201cI feel uncomfortable\ntelling them\u201d sounds simple. Yet, it reveals a deep dilemma. A person\nhas friends but is afraid of being a burden. They have family but do not\nnecessarily feel safe opening up. They are connected to hundreds of\npeople on social media but can still feel they have no place to talk\nabout what is on their mind. AI steps right into this gap. It is\navailable at two in the afternoon or two in the morning. It does not say\nit is busy. It does not show a bored expression. It does not interrupt\nto tell its own problems. It can even be asked, \u201cDon\u2019t give me solutions\nyet, just listen.\u201d It is not surprising that this experience feels\ncomfortable. Further data from Snapcart provides a clearer picture.\nAmong respondents who considered AI as a replacement for a psychologist,\n39 per cent cited the cost of a psychologist as the reason, while AI can\nbe used for free. A total of 27 per cent believed AI is better at\nkeeping secrets. Eleven per cent felt AI can help solve broader personal\nproblems. Ten per cent felt AI is less judgemental, more neutral, and\nmore understanding. It is important to understand one point carefully.\nWhen 27 per cent of respondents feel AI is better at keeping secrets,\nthis reflects user perception, not objective proof that AI is more\nsecure.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ai-has-no-feelings-so-why-do-we-feel-understood-1786675993", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }