Will AI cure loneliness? This is actually a tough question, and it's quite nuanced, because on the one hand, AI companions are increasingly amazing at soothing our sense of isolation. They can be here for us 24-7, ready to listen and to help,

but does that come at a cost? Because more than simply pain, loneliness is a biological signal

that pushes our behavior towards improving ourselves socially. Also, does everyone have the same need for curing their loneliness?

In other words, will having an AI relationship to cure loneliness mess up our teenagers

or should we be thinking about it as providing a critical lifeline to our seniors?

So, in this episode, we'll be joined by my friend and colleague, Paul Bloom, to discuss loneliness.

Welcome to Inner Cosmos with me, David Eagleman.

I'm a neuroscientist and author at Stanford, and in these episodes, we sail deeply into our three-pound universe

to understand why and how our lives look the way they do.

This is an I-Heart podcast.

When news broke earlier this year that baby KJ, a newborn in Philadelphia,

had successfully received the world's first personalized gene editing treatment,

it represented a milestone for both researchers and patients.

But there's a gripping tale of discovery behind this accomplishment and its creators.

I'm Evan Ratliff, and together with biographer Walter Isaacson, we're delving into the story of

Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Dowdna, the woman who's helped change the trajectory of humanity.

Listen to Aunt CRISPR, the story of Jennifer Dowdna with Walter Isaacson on the IHeart Radio

app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Today's episode is about loneliness, which is one of the most painful experiences that humans face.

Many of us think of loneliness as a kind of passing sadness,

but from a biological perspective, it's a kind of internal alarm system like hunger or thirst or pain.

For most of our evolutionary history, being cut off from others was more than a sting.

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