Fuck AI

You're reading malintent into an innocent phrase. They could be subtly asking to be let in a friend group or just venting. There are many ways you could respond to such a sentence besides giving them entertainment.

If you don't have the slight bit of emotional availability to engage with them just don't. It's cringe to then go ranting about the time a boring person dared engaging with you and you stopped talking to them because you had so many friends.

Edit: To make my point clear, it's not that one has to engage the person in question. But focusing on how doing so affects them without a hint of understanding that it's the other person clearly in need of something is an indication of their own emotional immaturity. If you help someone in need you can brag. If you don't because you don't have the resources to help nobody can blame you, but you don't get to be upset they asked.