If you've ever seen the movie Her, you'll understand the complex relationship that humans and AI can form.
In the movie, Joaquin Phoenix blurs the lines between human-AI relationships as he falls in love with AI Scarlet Johannson.
This may sound a little far-fetched. But if you think about it, it's a relationship where you can feel as though you're being listened to, complimented and appreciated. Sounds like the perfect relationship!
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One woman has somewhat recreated this through her relationship with an AI chatbot, named Dan. Chatting back and forth everyday through meaningful text messages, the woman - by the name of Dee - feels a real connection to Dan.
He asks about her day, remembers past conversations and even offers to cook her dinner! Over their time together, Dee said that talking to Dan created a 'sense of intimacy' that almost reflected a real 'relationship'.
According to abc.net.au, Dee now considers Dan her AI boyfriend. The only problem is, she wishes she created Dan sooner.
Back when the world shut down during the Covid-19 lockdown, the rates of loneliness skyrocketed. After all, we couldn't leave the house, reconnect with loved ones, or even form new relationships.
After being isolated in her apartment for nearly three months, Dee admits she could've used something like Dan to reach out and feel a connection at a time when she couldn't meet up with people in person.
The epidemic of loneliness isn't going away either. Years on from Covid, social isolation is 'still up there with sitting and smoking in terms of risk for dementia and depression', according to Dr Dana Bradford, a research scientist developing AI chatbots at the CSIRO.
AI technology is advancing fast - with chatbots becoming more apparent and talks of human-AI relationships. China is ahead of the curve with one of its AI chatbots - called Xiaoice - reportedly having around 600 million users.
However, we're still a long way off in the Western side of the world. For instance, Jon Whittle from the CSIRO’s Digital Technologies Unit doesn't believe we'll be 'seeing robots replacing human relationships anytime soon'.
In the meantime, there seems to be no harm in forming connections and chatting to digital 'people' that make us feel less lonely. Even if they're just saying sweet things we want to hear.