Given that, AI can be just as good as talking to a friend when you don’t have one (or feel uncomfortable discussing something with one).
This sentence effectively reads "AI cam be just as good as (nothing)" since you can't talk to a friend when you don't have one.
Of course, I understand the point you were trying to make, which is that AI is better than absolutely nothing; but I disagree in the vain that AI will give you a false since of companionship that might lead you further towards bad outcomes.
This is not true, and it's not even wrong. You almost cannot argue with such a statement without being ridiculous. The best I can say is: natural language synthesis is not a substitute for friends.
If we are debating these things, it's evidence we adopted LLMs with far too little forethought.
I mean, on a technicality, you could say "my friend synthesizes plausible language, this can do it, too. So it can substitute a little bit!" but at that point I'm pretty sure we're not discussing friendship in its essence, and the (emotional, physical, social, etc) support that comes with it.
“A friend” can also serve as a metaphor for an acquaintance you feel comfortable seeking counsel from.