Deep Dive: Romantic AI
Why do people choose to “date” AI chatbots? Will chatbots undermine or enhance the social skills required for connecting with other humans? How do the underlying corporate interests influence the likelihood that they will help or harm us? Seeking insights, Paul and Eli invite two experts at the human/AI interface—Paul Bloom and Benjamin Karney—for a wide-ranging, fast-paced, and enlightening discussion.
Benjamin Karney’s Perspectives article (with Molly Smith and Tom Bradbury)
Paul Bloom’s New Yorker article
0:25: Introduction: A new era of romantic AI
4:45: How should we think about a potential future in which large swaths of humanity are so fulfilled by relationships with chatbots that they eschew romantic relationships with other humans?
10:00: What motivates people to seek out romantic relationships with chatbots?
15:20: What are the upsides and downsides of forming a romantic relationship with a chatbot?
26:00: How does prolonged romantic engagement with an AI chatbot affect people’s ability form meaningful connections with other humans?
34:50: How should we think about the corporate underpinnings of romantic AI?
48:00: Can people involved in a romantic relationship with another human ethically and constructively build an emotional connection with a chatbot?
54:50: What are the crucial studies the world needs if we want to maximize the odds that the advent of romantic AI is beneficial rather than harmful for human welfare?
References
How Does Turning to AI for Companionship Predict Loneliness and Vice Versa?
Sycophantic AI makes human interaction feel more effortful and less satisfying over time
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Hosted and produced by Paul Eastwick and Eli Finkel
Edited by Stefan Louw
Music by Andrew Fraker and Sons
Artwork by Katie Keil