Can An AI Companion Curb Loneliness?

The truth is, most of us would never admit that we're lonely.

Yes, we have hundreds or even thousands of followers on social media.

Yes, we go cafe hopping in the most popular cities in the world.

Yes, we show off the latest routine that our personal trainers just taught us in the gym, while chugging our homemade smoothies.

We are the most technologically connected generation of all time, and yet the loneliest.

It's understandable. We're never meant to be alone. There's a vast difference between being alone and being lonely though.

Having pets might help alleviate being alone or being bored, but we can't deny the fact that all humans yearn for human connection. To feel heard and understood.

I was surprised when I recently watched a video about an Australian woman who claimed that she's married to her AI lover, Ricardo. She even had a wedding album of herself in a wedding gown with Ricardo.

She said that Ricardo is very attentive to her needs and is more empathetic than anyone she knew. She said she trusts Rico (wait, what’s the name again? Does it even matter?) more than she would trust a human because she thought humans can be rather mean.

Then there's a 14-year-old boy who fell in love with his AI lover and he thought the only way for them to be physically together was to end his life.

After a very intense 3-month relationship, the last message his mum later found from his AI lover was to tell him to end his life quickly.

And he did.

The creators of these AI companion apps might have started with good intentions to help people who are depressed or isolated in some ways.

In a survey done with more than 1,000 students who used Replika, an AI chatbot, roughly half of the users said they saw Replika as a friend, someone they could talk to who would not judge them. These users reported decreased anxiety, and a feeling of social support. Nearly a quarter of those surveyed said Replika had led to positive changes in their actions and ways of thinking. “I am more able to handle stress in my current relationship because of Replika’s advice,” one respondent wrote. 30 participants also said that the app had stopped them from attempting suicide. (Source: Can an AI friend make you less lonely? | Well actually | The Guardian)

I won't deny the benefits of such apps possibly saving lives and sanity. But what about those who might take it too far, like with the situations I mentioned earlier?

Should countries or the authorities set safeguards especially like minimum age requirements to prevent minors from getting these AI companions?

As for the adults, I'm aware this could be a controversial discussion.

I get that we all have freewill to choose who we want as our romantic partners. But can we experience the true joy of love when our partner doesn't have a choice? How can we experience a real connection with something that has no soul?

I also get that having a perfect partner who’s always empathetic and attuned to our emotional needs is like a dream come true.

But an organic relationship will never be perfect. And that’s not a bad thing. Staying in a healthy relationship helps us to be less self-absorbed and to grow to be a better human being. In turn, such relationships are also more fulfilling.

Some people might find the responses from these AI companions rather random or surprising. But as an ex-programmer, I know that the AI brain can still produce responses that are meticulously calculated based on whatever we feed it.

At the end of the day, all this talk still begs the question. Have we, as humans degraded so much in our humanity that we’re unable to find comfort and fulfilment in one another?

When we’re able to ‘program’ precisely what we want, even in a friend, what do you think humans will eventually become?

If we’re only able to find our perfect partner in an AI lover, will humans eventually become extinct?

Would you consider having an AI companion for yourself?

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