I don't think "so isolated he turned to a chatbot for validation" describes this, or why people get unhealthily attached to chatbots.

1) The man became severely mentally ill in middle age, and he lived with his mother because he couldn't take care of himself. Describing him as merely "isolated" makes me wonder if you read the article: meeting new friends was not going to help him very much because he was not capable of maintaining those friendships.

2) Saying people turn to chatbots because of isolation is like saying they turn to drugs because of depression. In many cases that's how it started. But people get addicted to chatbots because they are to social interaction what narcotics are to happiness: in the short term you get all of the pleasure without doing any of the work. Human friends insist on give-and-take, chatbots are all give-give-give.

This man didn't talk to chatbots because he was lonely. He did so because he was totally disconnected from reality, and actual human beings don't indulge delusions with endless patience and encouragement the way ChatGPT does. His case is extreme but "people tell me I'm stupid or crazy, ChatGPT says I'm right" is becoming a common theme on social media. It is precisely why LLMs are so addictive and so dangerous.