AI Pals: Solace or Isolation?
The evolution of technology has been remarkable, and its trajectory into the future is equally promising. It has simplified human existence to a point where more often than not we barely need to interact with others anymore.
Our minds are busier than they have ever been, but discerningly we feel more cut off and alone. A lot of us are yearning for connection, yet we find ourselves not taking that leap in the real life.
Futurist or Near Future ?
The movie ‘Her’ showcases an interesting digetic style of interaction on how Theodore the character interacts with his AI companion through his personal device. These computers have screens like today’s smartphones but can also act as a conversational companion all throughout, hence rather than looking at these screens you talk to them.
Well probably this instilled the desire as a digetic prototype for our new trend of human interaction with devices, probably beyond the touch, AR/VR mediums. Humane is one such instance proposing the AI-Pin.
Spike Jonze also showcases a lot of cityscape shots in the movie ‘Her’, in one instance Theodore the character played by Joaquin Pheonix is at the centre of a bevy, surrounded by preoccupied pedestrians onto their personal devices while the staunch towering cityscape showcases how lonely Theodore truly has become.
Present Day
Jakob Nielson hints to the AI companion drive as “It may be a Faustian bargain. They are a killer app for consumer use of AI because users like that their AI friend is non-judgmental, always there, kind, and agreeable.”
Amidst the excitement surrounding ChatGPT, another conversational interface has been gaining traction. According to The Economist, Character AI secured the second position in terms of AI service visits in August 2023, accumulating approximately 200 million visits. While it may not reach the extraordinary 1.4 billion visits of ChatGPT, it surpasses Google Bard. Distinguishing itself from conventional AI Companions like Caryn AI, Character.AI offers a more extensive service by providing simulated social interactions with both historical and contemporary figures.
Meta on its quest to onboard people into Metaverse also brought a new Chat companion. On Oct. 5, Meta unveiled Billie, an AI chatbot created using Kendall Jenner’s likeness.
Well similarly Snapchat did a same stunt with introducing AI Chatbot, which got a flack by its users as it was too intrusive. But Meta’s approach to this animosity and ambiguity has been by involving human-like persona’s in their catalogue, from DWade to SnoopDog to TomBrady but with altered names and contracts. Only time will tell whether the users adopt or draw out flack.
As we see chatbots moving from text to audio and now to persona based assistance it would be an interesting thought how Meta’s other branch Metaverse would abstract around AI assistance. Viraj Joshi a futurist and Speculative designer prompts these insights through his comic strip Eliza — The Ghost in Everyday Machine.
He proposes these Bots pretending to be Humans in the Metaverse and asks “Could we even discern between bots and people? What kind of affordances (facades, arms, legs, mouths?) would we have to design for bots in the ‘metaverse’? Would bots end up going too far in the ‘metaverse’ before law has to come cracking on them?”
Closing Thoughts
This brings me back to why do we even tend to use these AI companions in the first place ? Maybe its an escape, or maybe these programs allow us to be the authentic selves. Is it mainly because this new AI companion or the operating system showcased in the movie ‘Her’ is just the personalized extension of the user’s ego. Well it is more of a cynical thought and just one of many interpretation's.
“Technological fiction is the most hard-hitting when grounded firmly in evidence.” -Viraj Joshi
