For example, the co-founder of an AI company argued in January that the technology has the potential to improve the quality of life for isolated seniors, writing: Conversing, playing games, and providing information can allay feelings of loneliness and boredom. ”
Certainly, AI chatbots have valuable and beneficial applications, and could, for example, change the lives of people with visual impairments. But the idea that bots will one day become a suitable replacement for human contact misunderstands the true meaning of loneliness and does not explain the need for human contact.
Although there is disagreement among scholars about the exact meaning of “loneliness,'' it is worth clarifying the definition if we are to view it as a social problem. Eric Klinenberg, a sociologist at New York University and author of several books on social connection, including Going Solo and Palaces for the People, explained to me the complexities of loneliness: explained. “It's a signal that we need better, more satisfying connections with other people.” “We are often unable to distinguish between the normal, healthy loneliness that allows us to participate in the social world, and the chronic, dangerous loneliness that prevents us from participating in the social world,” he said. We can't get up off the couch and we spiral into depression and withdrawal. ”
What worries me about chatting with bots as a potential solution to loneliness is that it could dampen people's emotions and discourage them from taking the step from their couch to make connections with others. This is because it can be an approach that can hinder or hinder your efforts. Some research also shows that a lack of human touch can worsen feelings of isolation. This more holistic view of loneliness is expressed very eloquently in a 2023 paper by researchers at the University of Stirling, describing the emotion as an “embodied and contextualized sensory experience.” .
Nick Gray, co-author of the paper, wrote about how simulation and real-life contact affect feelings of loneliness, and how realistic AI chatbots affect feelings of loneliness. He told me that he had not yet seen any research on the topic. Obviously, it's a very new technology. However, based on previous research in the field, including his own research, he believes that “realistic AI chatbots may temporarily alleviate feelings of loneliness,” but that “they may reduce or eliminate loneliness.” It would be an exaggeration to say that.”
