My point isn't that AI can give a friend who needs it a hug and really mean it.
My point is that even with that massive advantage, many of us are still losing the fight. All of the AI psychosis research I've seen makes it clear that people become obsessed because AI is programmed to be kind and helpful. If that was enough to suck those people in that means that no human in their lived experience meets the bar of a machine faking kind and helpful words.