A letter writer is wondering why all their long-time friends have started disappearing from their life.

It’s possible that some of your friends are experiencing mental health struggles, while others are going through age-appropriate changes in their capacity for social engagement, and you’re bearing the brunt of all of it.

Dear Eric: Over the past few years, more and more of my longtime friends have vanished from my life. One sent a message reading “I am retired,” and when asked how she was enjoying her retirement, sent the same message repeatedly as her reply.

Mark Zuckerberg thinks maybe it’s time you send an AI bot a friend request. Last week, the Meta CEO sat down for an hour-long conversation with podcaster Dwarkesh Patel and argued that it’s only a matter of time before society sees the “value” in AI friendships.

Meta’s CEO is promoting a future where artificial intelligence is increasingly intertwined with people’s lives.