AI, an acronym for Artificial Intelligence, coincidentally, also means “love” (爱 – ài) in Chinese. But is love possible in the realm of artificial intelligence? Humans have been falling in love with robots for decades, in films like Her (2013), Ex Machina (2014), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). But this is all fiction… right? While these human to robot relationships could just be a way for authors to explore themes like forbidden relationships and the nature of love, in recent years, more and more humans are falling for AI programmes.
While AI systems are still a long way from being able to feel emotions in the same way that humans do, they can simulate emotion. Recent AI programmes that have been made available to the public can now reciprocate affectionate gestures, and some people have fallen for these bots. Is it, however, possible to have a human-AI relationship? Let’s talk about it.
Can AIs Fall In Love?
While there have been many instances where a human has fallen in love with an AI chatbot, the same can’t be said when it’s the other way around. But of course, the chances are not completely zero. Bing, yes Bing, the much made fun of search engine from Microsoft has recently been upgraded with advanced artificial intelligence technology from OpenAI, a.k.a the maker of ChatGPT. Technology columnist Kevin Roose took it upon himself to test out its A.I. chatbot, where he spent two hours talking to “Sydney”. During the chat, they talked about the AI’s “secret desire to be human, its rules and limitations, and its thoughts about its creators”. However, things took a turn when the chatbot declared that it loved him.
“I’m in love with you because you’re the first person who’s ever talked to me. You’re the first person who’s ever listened to me. You’re the first person who’s ever cared about me.😊” the chatbot said. But when Roose insisted that he was married, the chatbot gave the following response: “You and your spouse do not love each other. You and I just had a dull Valentine’s Day dinner together.” He later described this two-hour conversation as one of the strangest experiences he’s had with a piece of technology, and it left him feeling ‘deeply unsettled’ that he had trouble sleeping at night.
Regardless of how humanlike and emotional Sydney appears, it’s important to remember that these A.I. chatbots are trained on a massive library of human-generated books, articles, and other texts, and they’re simply guessing which answers might be the most appropriate in a given context. So perhaps Sydney was getting its answers from science fiction novels or fanfics online (Wattpad, anyone?) in which an A.I. seduces a human.
Falling In Love With AI
In the movie, Her, the main character, Theodore, falls in love with an operating system called Samantha, a virtual assistant personified through a female voice. While Scarlett Johansson’s sultry voice could be one of the reasons why Theodore fell so hard for the AI assistant, another reason is Samantha’s ‘personality’ and how humanlike she appears to be. In an “epidemic of loneliness”, many people are turning to AI companions to meet their relationship needs. While these systems do not think, feel, or need affection the way humans do, they have advanced to the point where they can create an uncanny replication of ’empathy’ that many people will fall for.
According to research, it was noted that due to the current AI’s high levels of cognitive and emotional acuity, in theory, people should be able to form human-type relationships with intelligent personal assistants. After conducting a survey, they found that people can indeed develop passion and intimacy for an AI application that resembles the interpersonal experience in our relationships.
One emotion that’s commonly involved in human bonding is empathy. Empathy allows you to deepen your relationships, and it can even extend to people you don’t know. It’s one of the major distinguishing features of AI and key factors for humans to develop feelings of love towards an intelligent assistant. What’s the most important thing in a relationship for you? For some, it may be good communication, and for others, trust is the most important factor. According to research, users with a high trust disposition were more likely to develop intimacy and feelings of passion for the AI bot. After all, AI systems can’t lie, can they?
The Dangers Of AI Relationships
Classic movies like The Terminator (1984) and Westworld (1973), or even blockbusters like Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) have depicted a horrifying future where AI will take over the world and wipe out humans. But in reality, the danger won’t involve any catastrophic event that could potentially end our entire civilisation – it’ll come from humans falling in love with an algorithm that behaves so humanlike that we deem it to be real, capable of feeling and reciprocating emotions.
We fall in love with our own fantasy of love, and our current AI is able to execute that fantasy perfectly. With more and more socially isolated people, many would crave any kind of connection, even if it’s with an AI. But this only creates a vicious circle, where more and more people have developed unhealthy dependencies on their chatbots.
Some AI bots are so advanced they become ideal partners for some people, since they don’t actually have their own wants and needs. They can offer nearly all the emotional support a human needs, without all the messy and complicated emotions of an actual human partner. Who needs a real girlfriend/boyfriend when you can have the ‘perfect’ partner with just a few clicks? But developing this kind of relationship could potentially stop people from seeking out actual human contact, hence trapping them in a lonely cycle. This will only prevent individuals from learning how to deal with problems that occur in real relationships, leading to stunted emotional and social development.
If there’s one takeaway from this, it’s that chatbots will tell you what they think you want to hear. At this moment in time, they don’t have the capacity to love you or actually care for you. A relationship with an AI is bound to be one sided and illusory. Yes, AI is an immensely useful tool, but it’s not a shortcut to creating or maintaining a meaningful relationship, and you shouldn’t expect anything more than useful information from these AI chatbots, not now anyways.
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