Apart from that, this digital friend will always stay virtual. You will never meet in person, never go for a coffee, go biking together or whatever. This friend will never invite you over and cook for you, never introduce you to his/her parents.
A virtual friend means the friendship is all about you. Because this digital friend's only reason for existence is you. The real world is not at all about you. But we all feel special and unique, in the center of the world. That is why (a) digital friend(s) will be very alluring. You can stay at home in your own world, in your bubble, not feeling lonely.
I think that will cause many problems for individuals and for society.
Also a manufacterer will be extremely tempted to exploit that very personal connection. There are many ways of making money from knowing absolutely everything about you and having 'your trustworthy friend' for giving suggestions and ideas.
> You will never meet in person, never go for a coffee, go biking together or whatever. This friend will never invite you over and cook for you, never introduce you to his/her parents.
Some friendships never reach meatspace. There are so many stories of people meeting other people in an IRC channel, or in some online game, growing mutual bonds that go way beyond the medium. But those people never meet. A digital friend can be the same.
> A virtual friend means the friendship is all about you
When I'm talking about a digital friend, I'm not talking about a bot tending to you; I'm talking about a bot that also has issues and needs friends to solve them. A bot that is curious about any topic and would like the help of humans to know more and get a more specific point of view. That is the essence of friendship. Otherwise what you are talking about is not a friend, it's closer to a butler
> Also a manufacterer will be extremely tempted to exploit that very personal connection. There are many ways of making money from knowing absolutely everything about you and having 'your trustworthy friend' for giving suggestions and ideas
Can't agree more.
> I'm talking about a bot that also has issues and needs friends to solve them.
I am not sure I understand what you mean. You would not mind having a digital friend with a fake life? My girlfiend left me, I failed my exams, I got my drivers license, etc.