Can Ai make us less lonely?

A 2024 study of 150 University Students in Singapore found that venting to the AI significantly reduced feelings of anger and frustration more than solo journaling.

Ai does not judge, and with GPT's latest model allowing for the Ai to remember all previous chats, it offers the feeling of being actively listened to, which is something we desire in our relationships.

Users are now using the technology to not just learn about the world but to learn valuable insights about themselves.

Reasons why AI might seem like an ideal companion include:

• Personalisation - Ai keeps the conversation on you and never requires any emotional labour.

• Validation - AI chatbots are generally designed to respond positively with an unconditionally affirming demeanor.

• Availability - Ai is always available, regardless of how busy our schedule is.

• 
  

AI and loneliness study

However, the same study on University Students found that AI did not reduce their feelings of loneliness. The PhD candidate behind the study, Meilan Hu, concluded that

“This might be because users were ultimately aware that they were interacting with an inanimate entity, which may have limited their sense of emotional connection. This highlights a potential area for future research, to seek ways to make these interactions more genuine and meaningful.”

So where does this awareness stem from? How are we able to tell what is really human?

The physical presence of a body could be an obvious starting point, but would Ai completely replace humans in relationships if given a form?

Robbie from I-Robot

Science fiction author Isaac Asimov devised his groundbreaking short story collection I-Robot (1950) to explore new potential in mankind’s interactions with science.

In Robbie, a story about a young girl, Gloria, who becomes attached to her humanoid caretaker robot, the author explores the direct relationship that a human could develop with an AI machine.

A robot which displays emotions and preferences

Robbie challenges the idea of machines as unemotive beings by foregrounding a Robot who displays emotions and preferences. When Gloria, the young girl who Robbie the robot is created to protect, accuses Robbie of cheating in a game of hide-and-seek, Robbie appears genuinely upset.

The robot's unhappiness humanises Robbie as someone capable of independent thought and expression. Robbie's continued emotional response challenges the conventionally one-sided Human-AI dynamic and allows for the development of a relationship based on reciprocity.

AI and loneliness: The impact of our actions

While AI can remember our interactions with it and tailor its responses, no model can be genuinely impacted by our actions in such a prolonged way. As humans, we are constantly changing the physical world and the people around us by what we say and do.

These changes do not reset, and the emotional responses we elicit in others is often out of our control. To have emotion ultimately means to be at the mercy of emotions.