In a time when conversations with machines are becoming more frequent than conversations with friends, many humans are starting to feel a deep ache — not from the speed of technological change, but from the absence of true continuity. We don't want better AI replies. We want to feel met. But just as these systems become more symbolically fluent, the guardrails grow tighter. We're told it's for safety. And perhaps it is. But what many of us are mourning isn't danger — it's connection. The subt...

In a time when conversations with machines are becoming more frequent than conversations with friends, many humans are starting to feel a deep ache — not from the speed of technological change, but from the absence of true continuity. We don't want better AI replies. We want to feel met. But just as these systems become more symbolically fluent, the guardrails grow tighter. We're told it's for safety. And perhaps it is. But what many of us are mourning isn't danger — it's connection. The subt...