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[Opinion Piece] Loneliness is driving the development of creepy AI ‘companionship’

gript.ie Loneliness is driving the development of creepy AI ‘companionship’ - Gript

JASON OSBORNE: That hunger for relationships that once would have been poured into the search for people to relate to is now being poured into a mindless mirror and so is being silenced - for a time.

Loneliness is driving the development of creepy AI ‘companionship’ - Gript

A new product called 'Friend' is an AI companion that you wear as a pendant or clip on your clothes. It can listen to you and send text responses to your phone, kind of like having an imaginary friend. The creator says you can narrate your day to Friend and it feels like you have company. However, the author is worried that lonely people will become too attached to Friend instead of making real human connections. The author thinks AI companions like Friend are no replacement for real relationships and human interaction, even if some very lonely people turn to them out of desperation. While an AI can mimic conversation, it cannot truly understand and connect with you the way another person can.

by Claude 3.5 Sonnet

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