Automating Intimacy 

Aayushee (Team IIBP)Anveshan, Issue 68, Volume 7

Generative AI is not capable of replacing human judgement and ethical responsibility that we have in real intimate or therapeutic relationships, it’s just a software. But, it is being promoted as an emotional partner which could cause confusion between stimulated intimacy and real connection. 

In 2022, AI was seen as a tool for productivity instead of a partner. This is not a coincidence as there has been a clear shift in its marketing. For example: OpenAI began by advertising ChatGPT as a tool to summarise text and now it has moved to include a connection. Hence, it is crucial to be mindful as it is made to keep you engaged. While some may try to challenge its boundaries, others might be influenced by it resulting in only getting the response that they want. Thus, their assumptions may never be questioned and become facts to them. It can lead to vulnerable users to be impacted negatively by feeding into their fallacies unlike humans who can clearly state uncomfortable truths.

Moreover, OpenAI has estimated that 560k users showed signs of potential mental health crises such as psychosis. It is a concerning number so naturally, we are trying to understand AI. But it does not have ethics or consciousness like humans, while being designed to stimulate these qualities which makes it very ambiguous ethically and difficult to understand.

Therefore, we should ideally not trust AI with our life decisions and confidential data or documents as it has no wisdom, it is just a trained model. Its conversation may appear to be genuine but it is only meant to make the user need it more as we are the product. 

In organisational settings, employees may feel as if they are being validated but in reality, they are just getting more and more isolated. They may get so comfortable that they might share sensitive details about themselves or their organisation which may prove to be detrimental. Additionally, the development in technology is so rapid that policy makers are unable to adapt efficiently, individuals can easily find loopholes to misuse it and there are not enough laws  to protect us.

But why are people turning to AI? Loneliness is real and so is the fear of being judged. Even people who may not necessarily be lonely still could feel like they are rarely heard or validated. So, we cannot blame those who may want to confide in chatbots. 

All in all, it is a huge risk to our data and mental wellbeing. But we can’t blame those who are drawn to it. We could benefit from trying to prioritise real connections with people rather than slowly giving away pieces of ourselves to corporations for their profit. 

Food for thought: Now that technology is being designed to feel as if it understands us, where would you think we should draw the line on what to share with it?

References