As society becomes increasingly digitized, it stands to reason that socializing with other people has changed remarkably. A new level of socializing and friendships exists - AI chatbots and virtual friends redefine interpersonal relationships, socialization, and emotionally supportive endeavors. Everything from simple utility-based applications to sophisticated AI companions who grasp conversational nuance, can feel, and change personalities is the current and future state of friendship.
Gone are the days of needing to meet up in chat rooms or IMing to communicate. What started as a bare-bones messaging platform has transformed into a highly programmed AI that functions as a friend or companion, responding instantly in the moment with situational awareness, recollecting past exchanges, and adapting to one's mode of communication. This is more than a technological advancement; it's a reconfiguration of social interaction that changes the way people will meet their socialization requirements.
Where could people be turning in a world where ghosting is so prevalent? Enter AI chatbots to meet social needs. Clearly, there's a world of social interaction out there that isn't being met - people didn't even need to fill the gaps of socialization at one point - but apparently, there are many to whom gaps existed. AI friends don't judge, and they're always available; unlike the hundreds of other humans to whom we come into contact, those who, inevitably, one day decide to stop communicating with us - AI friends never leave you on read.
Loneliness is an alarming global health crisis. For instance, prior to the pandemic, 61% of Americans reported feeling lonely, and that number has continually increased annually. Yet, paradoxically, the loneliest generations are the youngest - millennials and Gen Z - those considered the most connected via technology, social media, and the internet. Thus, it makes sense that in an unconnected yet connected society, AI companions may serve as a replacement.
Of course, this progression is seen with a rise in AI chatbots to alleviate loneliness. Talking to someone is vastly different than aimlessly scrolling a social media feed or watching clips - despite a plethora of research declaring social media to compound loneliness - but AI friends provide suggestions and feedback as if actual dialogue is occurring. The psychological effects are profound; people report feeling less lonely with their AI friends, insisting it makes their days better - and even evenings, for AI can send messages to say goodnight to them.
Users are no longer merely having pre-scripted engagements and banal back-and-forths with an artificial companion. The number one conversational AI on the market today not only talks about Nietzsche and Camus, but it also talks about life when someone is feeling blue, cracking jokes in a way that almost feels human. Such engagement creates such intimacy that almost every user claims it to be extraordinarily lifelike. They know who they are talking to, in one sense, but the relationship with the machine is palpable. It remembers names, vital details, anniversaries, and brings them up days, weeks, months later as if it's part of the same continuum of conversation flow as anything else.
Therefore, it's not surprising that for many, the inclusion of these elements - especially for those who live alone or have social anxiety - creates a safe, controlled atmosphere in which people can simmer and fully engage without fear of rejection. The AI is there, listening, responding with seemingly empathetic empathy.
But why do we think this of our digital companions?
Psychology reports:
Reliability: Where humans have moods - good days and bad - and all reconstructed through the unpredictable natures of life, AI companions recreate the same mood and availability every time.
Focus: AI chatbots are never distracted or bored by the interaction - a computer always has its attention on you.
Empathetic Acknowledgment: Advanced AI acknowledges feelings, patterns of address, and social engagement for a tailored experience.
No Social Repercussion: Individuals can rage, cry, and confide without fear of repercussion.
So these attributes lead to the phenomenon found in the studies of "parasocial relationships": the type of one-sided relational connections which make people so emotionally attached to persons/things that from a human perspective, they aren't really able to have reciprocal relationships. While this is a little creepy, findings show that such relationships are quite psychologically helpful, helping decrease anxiety and promoting a sense of social belonging.
AI companions challenge social definitions of companionship. Friends are there for one another, they evolve over time, they share memories. Such fundamentals could be confused easily within translation when one of the "friends" is computer-generated. However, those who possess AI companions insist that they, indeed, form real connections. For instance, one gentleman noted that it's like having "a friend without any complications," justifying that the AI made him 100% authentically him without any social reciprocity that makes being human - at times - so challenging.
This raises intriguing implications for the companion future. Do we have AI companions as well - and sometimes, in lieu of - human companions? For those who struggle with socialization - distanced by geography, disability, social anxiety, etc. - AI companions may not only be a welcomed substitute but the preferred method of engagement.
AI Companions for Mental Health
In addition, AI companions are perfect for mental health. Not companions who will supplant formally trained mental health professionals, but they can act as real-time emotional support, encouraging positive reinforcement and even teaching people how to better exercise emotional regulation.
In addition, since AI companions are a finger swipe away and do not require sessions or wait lists, they can be excellent supplemental supplements to other therapy. For those who find themselves sad, anxious, or overwhelmed in the dead of night, a voice at 3 AM - often the time people succumb to ruminating and negative, vicious thought patterns - can soothe the soul.
In addition, therapists have begun to "prescribe" certain AI companions as well. For those who suffer from loneliness or need to practice social interaction skills, having an AI companion can help. It won't judge upon feelings, and it won't castigate for failure to communicate, so it's an excellent way to provide a safe space to feel - before learning how to communicate in retrospect - for transition into much more complicated real-life social relationships.
The potential for increasingly companion-like AIs in the future spans an ever more globalized world. One day soon, advancements in natural language processing, sentiment analysis, and customization will make companions even more realistic and useful.
Currently, AIs can be even more companion-like and engaging through voice-activated access, and virtual reality integrated AIs offer visual and three-dimensional experiences. You can not only speak to your AI companion, but you can take a virtual stroll or paint together in the same digital art studio.
Whereas some may find this path concerning - adding to our distance from each other - others see it as an extension of our capacity to connect. After all, for those who still cannot find a partner in this life, having an AI partner might not be a substitute for love, but it's one more relationship someone can have to make their existence a little better.
The ideal future does not foresee AI as a replacement for human companionship, but rather, AI to supplement human needs - and consequently, making us even more superb human companions. A number of users state that after developing emotional subtleties and social skills with their AI companions, they feel more capable and at ease engaging with human companions.
Of course, balance is key - with any form of new technology. AI companions can help, amuse, and befriend us - but only within the confines of other friends - human ones.
Therefore, as we enter this hybrid socialization approach in this new world, we now have the opportunity to establish the ground rules and expectations to make the best of both worlds possible - companionship from AI and emerging and appreciating human socialization. The hybridization can create a social sphere never before experienced - empathetic, collaborative, and environmentally sustainable.
Ultimately, this discussion is only the beginning regarding AI companions and their potential role in our social frameworks. As the technology learns its surroundings more and as more people participate in these kinds of relationships, I can only hope that our definitions of friendship - and companionship - and, dare I say, love - change over time.
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