Blogging About Communication

AI is changing the scope and nature of our interpersonal relationships. It is also altering what we consider human communication to be.

HUMAN-AI RELATIONSHIPS

Can you imagine having a friendly or romantic relationship with an AI bot? Some researchers contend that developing a relationship with a bot can provide lonely individuals much needed companionship. Indeed, some nursing homes are using robots to address the needs of the older residents. The robots engage them in social interaction, provide them comfort, and help manage their emotional health. The thinking is that relating to the robot will reduce residents’ anxiety and loneliness, and improve their mood. Not just the aged are thought to benefit from experiencing a human-AI relationship. Individuals who are neither in nursing homes nor infirm, have also been known to seek out a human-bot connection as a means of reducing their loneliness and feelings of social isolation.

REALITY AND ILLUSION

This is the concern: Is what ensues between a human and a bot, a relationship or the illusion of a relationship? Will engaging a bot in conversation erode the ability or desire to engage in human-to-human interaction? In general, bots have been found to be more reinforcing (even of negative thought patterns), and more self-enhancing (telling you what you want to hear), making the interactions you share with them more agreeable. Individuals have even fallen for their AI companion like Replica, spending significant time on virtual dates with them, in lieu of devoting time to their real-world relationships.

IT’S NOT ALL GOOD

Not all news is positive. Bots have been programmed to mimic human empathy and promote feelings of attachment, which can end up limiting genuine human contact, and in the end, worsen feelings of loneliness. And what about personal contact—human touch—Is it replaceable? Years back studies revealed that infants deprived of human touch failed to thrive. Human touch is important for both physical and emotional wellbeing. It promotes bonding and decreases feelings of stress. While bots can simulate elements of human interaction, they cannot yet replicate human touch.

WHAT IS HUMAN TOUCH?

What bots can do is provide personalized, emotionally responsive reactions. This leaves us to ask this question: If a bot can’t yet simulate physical touch, might we need a new definition of touch in the 21^st century? Might human touch now be just a voice?

YOUR GAME PLAN

Explain if you think having a virtual companion would benefit you and other humans? Develop a list of services a bot could provide to supplement person-to-person contact, such as being used to eliminate boredom, and provide an empathetic ear. How might you employ a bot to encourage human interaction?