As AI chatbots become emotional confidants for millions, a new book asks what this says about loneliness, stigma, and the future of mental wellbeing.
BRISBANE, QLD, AUSTRALIA, January 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — As AI chatbots quietly become a first line of emotional support for millions of people worldwide, a new book, The Silence Paradox: The Quiet Revolution of AI, Emotion and Human Connection, explores a confronting question: why are so many people more willing to talk to machines than to other humans?
Written by Chris Rhyss Edwards, author of The Woke Paradox and a doctoral researcher investigating conversational AI and mental wellbeing, The Silence Paradox examines the explosive growth of AI-powered chatbots used for emotional support, self-reflection, and mental health conversations.
According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 8 people globally live with a mental disorder, yet the majority will never receive professional support due to stigma, cost, access, or fear of judgment. Into that silence, AI has stepped.
“People aren’t turning to AI because it’s better than humans,” Edwards says. “They’re turning to it because it’s available, non-judgmental, and doesn’t make them feel like a burden.”
Blending personal reflection, cultural analysis, and emerging research, The Silence Paradox explores:
– Why people disclose more deeply to chatbots than to friends, family, or clinicians
– How loneliness, shame, and social fragmentation fuel machine intimacy
– The psychological risks of emotional reliance on AI
– What responsible, ethical AI support should — and should not — replace
Edwards, a military veteran living with PTSD, brings lived experience to the work, openly reflecting on silence, masculinity, and the barriers that prevent people from seeking help.
“This book isn’t anti-AI,” he explains. “It’s about what AI is revealing — not about technology, but about us.”
As governments, employers, and healthcare systems increasingly explore AI-based mental wellbeing tools, The Silence Paradox arrives at a critical moment, offering both a warning and a framework for thinking more carefully about the role machines are beginning to play in our emotional lives.
The Silence Paradox is available now.
Media enquiries, review copies, and interviews at the contact details below.
About the Author
Chris Rhyss Edwards is a writer, doctoral researcher, and former soldier exploring what happens when people have no one left to talk to. A military veteran living with PTSD, he studies the growing role of AI chatbots in mental wellbeing and emotional support. His work blends lived experience, research, and cultural critique to ask difficult questions about silence, connection, and the future of care.
Chris Rhyss Edwards
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