AI is incapable of solving loneliness. It's a biological signal we have (thanks to evolution) to seek social connections with other humans , for things like reproduction and survival. Mentally healthy people will never be less lonely as long as they know they are talking to a model. All it can offer is a distraction and an illusion, because it has no humanity. Note: I don't even think dogs solve loneliness. They can…
It may be incapable to solve loneliness, but it may be very capable to be a bandaid so effective, that people just wouldn't bother to deal with another people.
It's clear where the average will go as it started moving with rudimentary human contact substitution technology that we had before AI.