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Just yesterday we had a post about how Americans are spending more and more time alone[1]: > in 2021, the average American spent only two hours and 45 minutes
by nomagicbullet 4y ago
Just yesterday we had a post about how Americans are spending more and more time alone[1]:
> in 2021, the average American spent only two hours and 45 minutes a week with close friends (a 58 percent decline relative to 2010-2013).
I understand some people might feel uncomfortable about "AI chatbots" (about their inaccuracy, or "fakeness"). However I can't help to think that the future of humankind will be plagued by artificial entities that we will interact with as we do with other humans. It might be in the form of simple ELIZA models, some ML artifact or full-on conscious intelligences.
I suspect there will be huge benefits to virtual companions to help with this crisis of loneliness that afflict us. In any case I hope humans will evaluate these technologies by the value they derive from them.
[1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33755243 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33755243
- aaomidi 4y agoI really hope virtual companions aren’t centralized or if they are there is extremely strict regulations around the data. Imagine the company changing policy and you being locked out of your virtual companion? That should never happen.
- Gigachad 4y agoI think the uncomfortableness comes from the fact that just about everyone acknowledges this scenario is inevitable. Of corse we will all be replacing friends with chatbots because that will be easier and eventually they will work even better than real friends. But what kind of world are we going to end up with when this happens. What is the result of giving everyone chatbot friends who are all perfectly agreeable. And who probably slip in product placement/ads.