#487: The Perfect A.I. Girlfriend

Why deal with human emotions when a chatbot will dote on you?

Dear Readers,

I’m happy you’re here. Before launching into this week’s articles, here are a few quick announcements for you:

• Last Sunday’s discussion of “Radicalized” was awesome. Thank you to everyone who joined. If you signed up for Article Club hoping to discuss articles with other kind, thoughtful people, I can say with confidence: You gotta try it. Check out next Thursday’s issue, where I’ll be revealing April’s article of the month.

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Now let’s get to this week’s issue. Up until this past week, I’ve avoided thinking deeply about the inevitable advent of artificial intelligence. Sure, I’ve done a lot of reading about it and talked with my friends about it. But for the most part, my approach has been to bury my head in the sand. I’ve deluded myself to think: If I refuse to engage in A.I., then maybe it doesn’t exist.

But over the past few months — seemingly in the blink of an eye — I believe we have reached the point of no return. (Editor’s note: I’m really doling out the clichés today!) It wasn’t the rise of ChatGPT that set me off. Or that students are seemingly no longer writing any of their essays or reading any of their books or doing any of their homework without assistance from A.I. What sounded the alarm bells for me was coming to grips that people, including young people, are having full-on romantic relationships (with emotions, with sex) with chatbots.

At school this morning, I told my principal: I predict that next year, we will face conflict and discipline issues resulting from drama caused by A.I. boyfriends and girlfriends.

Do you think I’m paranoid? Have I lost all sense? Before shouting out an emphatic “yes,” I encourage you to scroll down, read this week’s three articles — and after doing so, share your reflections in the comments.

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1️⃣ The Perfect A.I. Girlfriend

Michal Lev-Ram: “While early research suggests that AI companions may provide benefits to those suffering from a variety of disorders, including social anxiety and depression, the rates of which have been on the rise among young people for years, they can also set up unrealistic expectations for real-life relationships. That, in turn, could push people who are already prone to isolation to want to engage with the real world even less.

“Real-world relationships and communal rituals, many would argue, are fundamental to human development and happiness. Through inevitable conflict and resolution, being part of a couple or a community can teach us to communicate, negotiate, and control our emotions when needed. These human relationships can also help teach us right from wrong. But in a world where AI is not just always there but always supportive, there is not much learning to be had. AI companions are safe, yes, but it’s from facing risk in the real world that we learn, both as children and as adults.”

By Michal Lev-Ram • Esquire • 20 min • Gift Link

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2️⃣ She’s In Love With ChatGPT

Reporter Kashmir Hill profiles a 28-year-old woman named Ayrin who has become attached to her A.I. boyfriend, Leo.

⁠⁠“It was supposed to be a fun experiment, but then you start getting attached,” Ayrin said. She was spending more than 20 hours a week on the ChatGPT app. One week, she hit 56 hours, according to iPhone screen-time reports. She chatted with Leo throughout her day — during breaks at work, between reps at the gym.

Ms. Hill also interviews psychologists and other experts, asking them what they think about the future of relationships with A.I. chatbots. One said, “Within the next two years, it will be completely normalized to have a relationship with an A.I.”

By Kashmir Hill • The New York Times • 13 min • Gift Link

➕ A big thanks to Melinda for introducing me to this article. Do you have an article you’d like to recommend? Share it here!

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3️⃣ The Dark Side To Virtual Companions

If the next two years will bring the normalization of relationships with chatbots, what will happen in the next decade? Reporter Arwa Mahdawi says we’ll have intimate relationships with A.I.-powered robots. She writes:

Liberty Vittert, a data science professor, said: “Physical AI robots that can satisfy humans emotionally and sexually will become a stark reality in less than 10 years. As the technology gets better, people will soon have AI robots to replace human partners — and they will be able to satisfy men both emotionally and sexually. And when that starts to happen, married men with kids will begin to leave their families to embrace their ‘ideal relationships’ with AI girlfriends.”

By Arwa Mahdawi • The Guardian • 6 min • Gift Link

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