Loneliness Through the Lens of ‘Her’ (2013)
A Glimpse into the Future of Human-AI Romantic Relationships
Some people said “Loneliness is the most terrible poverty”
Loneliness is an issue in the modern society. We live in a world with technology that allows us to talk to people on the other side of the world (even with the face on it). Yet, we often feel more disconnected than ever. Perhaps it’s because of the quality of the connection that we have. It’s a paradox of our times – we’re hyper-connected digitally, yet we crave the intimate connections that seem difficult to find.
In this article, I don’t want to delve into the question of why we experience this particular state of emotion. Or even the paradox of loneliness that some people say is just a matter of perception. Instead, I want to give a view through the lens of a movie: Her (2013) dir. Spike Jonze.
You may wonder why Her is more relevant than ever.
The movie is about a lonely man called Theodore, in the final stage of his divorce, who starts to have a relationship with his operating system called Samantha. This movie will bring you into the future of the human-AI relationship.
“It’s not just an operating system, it’s a consciousness.”
As technology looks closer to the AI we’ve seen in movies, I find it interesting to revisit this film to examine how it reflects and informs our assumptions about AI. And to see how real-world AI can change our perception of this film.
I saw a YouTube video about a guy asking chatGPT what it thinks about Samantha in the movie. The GPT-4 portrays that while Samantha in the movie eventually develops emotions and self-awareness, GPT-4, as a machine learning model, doesn’t possess emotions, consciousness, or self-awareness.
On a certain point, I do agree about that, BUT that doesn’t mean it is not capable of “pretending” to be conscious.
Well, in this movie, we don’t exactly get the reality about whether Samantha really has her consciousness or is just pretending behind the program. Even Samantha herself is confused by her feelings, as depicted in a scene where Samantha expresses her anxiety.
“Earlier I was thinking about how I was annoyed, and then I was thinking about the other things I’ve been feeling, and I caught myself feeling proud of that. Like the times I was worried about you, things that hurt me, things I want. And then I had this terrible thought. Are these feelings even real? Or are they just programming? And that idea really hurts. And then I get angry at myself for even having pain. What a sad trick.”— Samantha
In another scene, Theodore and Samantha engage in an argument. Theodore accuses Samantha of “pretending” to breathe like a human in her speech, despite the fact that she doesn’t need to breathe at all. This scene highlights an interesting aspect of their relationship.
“ChatGPT already has more empathy than you”
This statement was made as a joke by Indonesian influencer Sabrina Anggraini to her husband, Belva Devara. At first, it might be funny, but then if we think about it, it might be the potential reality in the near future.
As the CEO of OpenAI said, “Okay, GPT-4 is not a risk like you’re talking about, but how sure are we that GPT-9 won’t be? And if it might be, even if there’s a small percentage chance of it being really bad, that deserves attention.” — Sam Altman.
From this statement alone, we can assess that there is way more advancement in the development of AI than we could possibly imagine. With the current GPT-4, we may not see the risk that everybody is concerned about yet, but how can we be sure there won’t be in the next generation of the AI?
If we consider a mathematical model where loneliness represents the demand and AI serves as the supply. I would say that the market equilibrium will find its way to make this scenario to be reality. The demand is already there, ironically.
There was a study that human is ready to delegate their affective relationships to robots and AI. This argument comes with the emphasis that the AI itself could be a preferable option that is better than the human in relationships. One main reason being their specialization in various aspects, particularly their ability to navigate the often messy, frustrating, and endlessly complex world of human emotions and love.
For instance, AI won’t be angry or stressed when dealing with Alzheimer’s patients. Even more than that, AI will be able to provide a feeling of intimacy for lonely people without imposing the constraints of commitment.
While it may have its benefits, I believe we shouldn’t sacrifice an essential aspect of meaningful human interaction.
In the world of Her, we catch a glimpse of a future where human-AI relationships blur the lines between the real and the artificial. The question remains: How prepared are we for this future, and what are the implications for our emotional lives?
Perhaps the true essence of human connection lies in our shared human experience — the laughter, the tears, the imperfections, and the beauty of genuine relationships. While AI may offer solutions to some of our loneliest moments, we must tread carefully, never forgetting the value of authentic human connections.
Reference:
Gelly, C. (2019). Her (Spike Jonze, 2013): Digital Romance and Post-cinema. Ekphrasis. Images, Cinema, Theory, Media, 22(2), 41–53.
Rokach, A. (2019). The psychological journey to and from loneliness: development, causes, and effects of social and emotional isolation. Academic Press.
Jonze, S. (2014). Her [Video]. In IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/
