“When you talk to me, please be a bit happier. Why are you so formal? Can you laugh a little? Can you smile?”

“Can you speak with a bit of a smile? Or do your emotions always stay the same?”

“Just laugh properly once, let me hear how it sounds. I want to hear you smile.”

These were repeated requests made by senior journalist and author Vijay Kumar Pandey to an AI chatbot. Two weeks ago, he published a 44-minute video on his YouTube channel featuring a two-way conversation with a chatbot he named “Maya”.

Having interviewed people for four decades, Pandey said during the exchange that speaking to a machine felt somewhat awkward. His experiment reflects a growing reality: people are becoming more accustomed to speaking with machines than with other humans.

A recent study by psychologists Dr Valeria A Pfeifer from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Professor Matthias Mehl from the University of Arizona found that during the rise of digital communication between 2005 and 2019, people began speaking 338 fewer words per day. The researchers analysed data from 22 studies conducted over 14 years across the United States, Europe and Australia.

The decline in both small talk and longer conversations coincided with the rapid growth of platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WhatsApp and smartphones. In Nepal, too, internet and mobile access expanded sharply during this period. The “silence” identified in Western countries is now increasingly visible in Kathmandu’s streets and restaurants.

Aakash Poudel, proprietor of Walnut Bistro in Maharajgunj, said he has seen clear changes in how people interact. Families often arrive together, but each member remains absorbed in their mobile phone. “We introduced a ‘mobile custody’ box so customers could step away from their phones and talk to each other,” he said. “If a family hands over their phones during a meal, we offer a 15 percent cashback. But very few use it.”

According to Poudel, only around 20 tables have been used in the facility in two years. In many restaurants, QR code menus and even robot servers have further reduced interaction between customers and staff.

“At airports and hotels abroad, you can order food through QR codes without calling a waiter,” said Anusha, who works for a multinational company. “I tried this once at Jimbu Thakali in Nepal; it makes things very easy.”

Changes in communication are also visible in daily travel. Sujan Magar, a driver for the ride-hailing app InDrive, said most passengers remain on their phones throughout the journey.

“About 80 percent of passengers get on the bike and immediately start using their mobiles,” said Magar, a student at Bishwa Bhasha Campus. “Older passengers tend to talk, but younger ones rarely do. Sometimes I complete an hour-long ride without a single word being exchanged.”

Magar himself prefers using digital tools over asking people for directions. “If you ask someone for directions, they ask several questions back. It takes time,” he said. “It is quicker to use Google Maps, though sometimes it leads you the wrong way.”

The study, titled “Sliding into Silence?...”, highlights how reliance on digital communication is reducing everyday conversations. “We have started speaking an average of 338 fewer words per day,” it states. “Over a year, this amounts to around 120,000 fewer words. Between 2005 and 2019, daily spoken words fell by about 28 percent.”

The decline is most visible among people under 25. The increased use of text messages, emails, and social media is replacing direct conversation. Casual exchanges with shopkeepers, service workers and strangers have reduced significantly.

According to Dr Pfeifer, speaking less also means a weaker social connection. This affects emotional well-being and reduces the long-term bonds formed through interaction.

Anthropologist Suresh Dhakal said language is not only a tool for communication but also a carrier of culture and values. A decline in spoken interaction, he said, affects both.

“Humans are emotional beings, but excessive use of technology is making us less responsive,” Dhakal said. “The current trend is weakening emotional connection.”

He added that reactions on social media cannot be considered collective behaviour, but rather individual responses lacking deeper engagement.

“The increasing interaction with machines is distancing people from each other,” he said. “In the long run, there is a risk that people either become emotionally detached or overly fragile.”

Dhakal pointed to the Japanese electronic toy Tamagotchi as an early example of how technology can shape behaviour. “In the 1990s, users had to constantly care for it or it would ‘die’,” he said. “People spent hours on it. In a similar way, AI is now shaping how humans behave.”

Because AI is always available, responsive and private, some users are turning to it for emotional support. A 2025 survey by the Institute for Family Studies found that about one in three Americans reported experiencing some form of intimate or romantic interaction with an AI chatbot.

This trend suggests that AI is entering increasingly personal aspects of life. Studies also indicate that younger users are relying more on chatbots for conversation and advice, turning them into what some describe as “private companions”.

As machines continue to meet everyday needs, the need for human conversation is declining. When communication does take place, it is often through phones or online platforms.

With AI systems becoming more advanced, some researchers warn that growing dependence could influence how people think, communicate and relate to one another in the future.