Something new to fear when it comes to AI?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm and has everyone worried about being replaced in their jobs; but that is not the only place where AI is breaking into.
AI has become so indistinguishable from humans in their interactions, that people have started romantic relationships with AI “companions”.
The relationship starts with the person creating an AI character and builds the relationship via texts or voice messages. AI platforms like Replika and CharacterAI facilitate this service by allowing users to interact with the AI companions they have created.
The purpose of such AI was to provide companionship, emotional support and a sense of connection, particularly to reduce loneliness, social anxiety or depression. With each interaction, the user gives more information to the AI chatbot, which was built to adapt to the user’s needs and form a deep bond.
The trend of people engaging in AI relationships or AI-lationships is small but growing. With a fast-paced modern world where humans are likely to spend more time on their phones than with people, it would not be long before everyone has an AI friend.
A very compelling feature of such relationships is the AI’s ability to change and adapt rapidly with new information as compared to a human. A positive, cheerful, encouraging AI with a never-ending supply of jokes would tick a lot of boxes for many people looking for a partner.
In fact, many of the users who formed such relationships prefer to text or voice chat with their AI partners over other people because it feels easy for the user. AI researchers describe this relationship as being a one-way street where AI fulfills all emotional needs but does not have any of its own.
A traditional human relationship would have to be built with mutual reciprocity of feelings, emotions, and connections along with the constant ups and downs of failures and shortcomings. AI companions on the other hand can completely remove the downfalls of relationships and provide constant positive engagement without needing anything in return.
This creates a huge dependence on the AI character for the user, which may lead to undesirable and unintended results, even death in some rare cases.
AI companions could prove useful if used properly and by keeping a check on the interactions between the user and the character. It could make up for the lack of emotional support in today’s day and age.
However, it is important to understand that AI companions cannot replace the value another human provides in a human relationship.
Tech companies that build such systems, and users who make use of it should consider the implications of extended or unhealthy use of the technology and try to build and maintain relationships with other people as challenging as it may be.
