Can AI relate to us as a friend?

SALT LAKE CITY — We hear so much about AI lately, like how it will take our jobs, do all of our chores, write our emails. But can it be a companion to us? Can it help with our loneliness epidemic?

“This is technology trying to fix a problem that technology created,” said Josh Redfern, Market Director for Behavioral Health for CommonSpirit in Utah. “A lot of our use of our phones is for non-communication now. It’s just consumption of media. Things like Instagram reels. We turn to them instead of reaching out to other people, and then we say we don’t feel connected. We feel lonely.”

The positives of AI companions

AI companions could be good if people use it as a tool and not as a substitute for human interaction.

“AI could be used in teaching us how to communicate with each other, how to have relationships,” Redfern explained.

But he worries that it would become yet another way for us to avoid difficult conversations, to keep anxiety at bay and sidestep meaningful communication.

“A big reason why our youth are struggling is that we avoid anxiety all of the time now. We avoid boredom. We avoid loneliness by reaching out to other things like social media and AI.”

Any of these tools, traditional media, social media, and AI, can be used appropriately.

“You have people who don’t have the opportunity to interact. Our aging population should have opportunities, but they don’t have the ability sometimes to reach out to others as much,” said Redfern.

Redfern also cited the example of people who are isolated because of their work or some other reason. An AI companion could be helpful for them. “But it’s got to be a tool for specific situations rather than a replacement for actual interaction,” he emphasized.

“The chatbot was empathetic.”

Some of the 1,500 people who were part of the study about AI companions agreed with the statement, “The chatbot was empathetic.”

“Is that true empathy?” Redfern asked. “This is the challenging part of life. It would be great if everybody was empathetic toward us all the time, but I don’t think we’d grow much if they were. Do we deserve more empathetic people in our lives? Sure.”

The other question Redfern asked was if we get all our empathy from AI, would we learn how to be empathetic ourselves? “The AI doesn’t need empathy back,” he pointed out. “So, we don’t learn how to reciprocate.”

Amanda Dickson is the co-host of Utah’s Morning News and A Woman’s View on KSL NewsRadio. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram. 

Related:

• Younger generations are turning to artificial intelligence for investing advice
• ‘Trust in technology’: Utah creates Office of Artificial Intelligence to safely, smartly navigate AI rise
• Artificial intelligence may be able to help with your mental health
• How AI and education are used in the Jordan School District

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