How AI is changing human communication
Are machines taking over human to human connection?
They say journaling and talking can help with anxiety. AI anxiety is becoming real, so I thought of starting a conversation here to create awareness and discussion around this topic.
If one of the main problems with new technologies used to be (and is still) the attention economy, wherein capturing users’ attention increases profits, a new problem is now coming forth - the attachment economy. With the emergence and rapid rise of AI came a new form of companionship with products designed to keep users engaged and attached to them.
In the past decades, human relationships have slowly been invaded by technology. Most human communication now happens through machines. This removes much of the nuance and connection of human-to-human communication - for example, interpreting facial and body expressions; or the impossibility of editing or embellishing messages. But we’re reaching a stage where human relationships are actually being replaced by human-machine relationships. People are using generative AI for companionship (including romantic relationships and therapy). But can generative AI substitute human interaction? Or do we even want that to happen?
As technology invades our relationships, we are eliminating layer upon layer of vulnerability from our lives. With text messages, we can control what we say or when we say it, eliminating the challenges that come with being real. Conversing with AI removes that vulnerability altogether - the AI blindly (and falsely) accepts whatever you say and encourages every decision you make, eliminating any friction or feedback that you might get from fellow humans.
Without vulnerability, we can’t show our true selves. Without showing our true selves, we can’t create real connections - any connection that comes up is tied to an image we created of ourselves. Could this cause us to stop feeling connected - possibly the thing humans are most wired to look for in life? Will we lose the ability to face our imperfect selves and value our imperfect peers? Will we start to measure our relationships up to the way machines treat us?
I would love it if you share your thoughts in the comments and any interesting news you might have come across about the topic.
I’ll leave you with a few resources to explore the topic further:
Your Undivided Attention podcast, by The Center for Humane Technology.
Catharina Doria’s Instagram with lots of important reflections about how AI is being used.
A short article about the attachment economy, on the LSE Business Review
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