It’s been a while since AI chatbots and agents started to poke their metal (or ethereal, for that matter) heads through the wholes of civilization. Khm, sorry if that’s too poetic, but that’s what it feels like to me sometimes. Contrary to popular belief, I think they are way too ‘underoptimized’ to threaten our job market in the coming decade. I know, the entry-level positions are already suffering, and I’ve felt that too. But we are still at a point where a cool metal head can still solve a lot of problems and not replay a ‘Skynet’ scenario and dispatch us with a clever algorithm.
In other words, a cool online video editor based on AI is fine, but it can go too far sometimes.
All that said, there’s an area of AI research that chills me in a very profound way and that’s AI Companions. Let me explain what I mean and then you can throw all the rotten tomatoes you want in my general direction.
AI Companions. Why? I mean, WHY??
First of all, let me specify. By AI companions, I mean the adult-oriented segment of software that combines the following:
- conversational AI
- role-play systems
- parasocial relationship design
- adult entertainment monetization
- gamification psychology
What do they produce as a result? Personalized intimacy, emotional simulation, and fantasy interaction. Some names for general public education, because I believe in free will and freedom of choice: Replika, CharacterAI, AnimaAI, and the particularly disturbing DreamGF, created specifically for adult content.
These companies, as mentioned, monetize intimacy, or rather, try to simulate intimacy. And I personally, without a doubt, believe that this is the most evil route the whole AI industry could take. I’m not just saying that lightly, i have some psych background to go along with the claim, but you’ll have to stick around a bit longer for me to get there.
Main Question: Why?
Going back to the question of why. It would seem pretty obvious, right? If we take into account the ongoing proclivity of the younger generation to interact digitally vs. approaching each other in real life, it does make sense. According to commentary and sociological observations, many Gen Z-ers feel discomfort about asking someone out in real life, partly because flirting in person has become less common and there’s worry about doing it “wrong.” There are also some anecdotal figures shared online (that we can’t blindly trust) that claim up to 45% of men aged 18-25 report they’ve never asked someone out in person.
This is sad and a little alarming for a few reasons. For one, how do you ever read face expressions if you don’t see faces that often??? Text messages contain only a sliver of the info we would get if we saw someone in person and talked to them.
This situation has created some shyness we never asked for. A total inability to conduct ourselves in an ambiguous situation. But that’s just a side effect.
Convenience Is The Truth Killer
The core problem is the CONVENIENCE. Aaaaah, yes, the modern drug that plagues society these days. We know that consuming products of any illegal labour is wrong. Yes, but if it’s CONVENIENT, we wouldn’t even bother finding out (child labour or deliberate disregard of regulations in smartphone production? Nope, never heard of those).
Clideo — Video Editor? Heard of that one, but that’s not the matter of discussion at this point. Now let’s get back to relationships. Aaand let’s face the truth that doesn’t go down very well. Relationships are messy. They are a drag sometimes, they can be dangerous even, especially to women. They require compromise, time, work, effort, and everything else that makesgreat things worthwhile.
So what do we do? And by we, I mean companies that choose to feed off loneliness and despair… We create AI Companions! Software that answers to all your prayers, treats you like a king/queen, understands you, you know, really gets you (SPOILER ALERT! It doesn’t) and most horrifically, agrees with you on everything.
Danger of Agreeable AI
People are not built to do well in a bubble. We are social animals, we need competition, we need to bounce our ideas off something or someone to make sure we’re not being batshit crazy, which is a harder task than you think, our sanity is fleeting, according to psych specialists and my aunt Asther.
Now if you are lonely, gullible, and generally uninterested in being challenged, AI Companions may seem like a good idea at some point. STOP. Capture that feeling, and try to stop right here. They are NEVER a good idea, because all they can lead to is deeper loneliness, deeper delusion, weeker character and general uselessness.
I know you’re worth more than that. So if you are ever tempted to go that route, catch yourself in time, go take a shower, put on fresh clothes, call your friend/acquaintance/colleague, ask them out for a coffee, and have a human conversation. Reconnect with what’s real, warm, and there for you. Why? Because at the end of the day, AI will watch you unravel with the same unbothered smile as when asking “what do you want right now?” At some point, trust the feeling you have of what’s good for you and what’s not. And the difficult route of messy, and wonderful, will be immeasurably better than the mechanical calm of the always-unbothered, eager-to-please, and you’re-always-right world of AI companions.
