We may not like what we become if A.I. solves loneliness • Hacker News Board

Re: We may not like what we become if A.I. solves loneliness

#11

Post by somenameforme » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 1:09 PM UTC

Retr0id wrote: post #10

JKCalhoun wrote: post #3

I've been of the opinion that the web itself has already done this to a large degree. Web surfing (when is the last time you heard that phrase?) has never been a group activity.

> Web surfing has never been a group activity. It often was, in my childhood. There was only one computer.

Mine as well. Trolling pedos on AOL who thought they were meeting up with teen girls was our past time. We got quite good at looking up locations, organizing places to meet, and more. We were Chris Hansen, in bored teen boys form.

Ah the days of A/S/L.

Re: We may not like what we become if A.I. solves loneliness

#12

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 1:10 PM UTC

lalaland1125 wrote: post #5

I don't think we are ready for the risk of mass manipulation through AI relationships. Imagine if Elon decides tomorrow morning that he wants to encourage all of the users of his AI relationship app to support Trump?

[deleted]

Re: We may not like what we become if A.I. solves loneliness

#13

Post by persolb » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 1:11 PM UTC

andy_ppp wrote: post #6

lalaland1125 wrote: post #5

I don't think we are ready for the risk of mass manipulation through AI relationships. Imagine if Elon decides tomorrow morning that he wants to encourage all of the users of his AI relationship app to support Trump?

He literally just paid for Trump’s reelection, why do we think these people need AI?

Potentially this is like giving an axe murderer an uzi. They don’t need it, but they’ll probably be more effective.

Re: We may not like what we become if A.I. solves loneliness

#14

Post by redserk » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 1:12 PM UTC

cedws wrote: post #9

JKCalhoun wrote: post #3

I've been of the opinion that the web itself has already done this to a large degree. Web surfing (when is the last time you heard that phrase?) has never been a group activity.

There’s also doomscrolling. I genuinely think a large portion of Gen Z would rather stay in bed watching Instagram reels than go out to a bar or club. I’ve been wondering recently what impact banning social media would have on birth rates. I’m confident it would be positive but I’m not sure on what magnitude.

I think it is worth calling out how expensive it can be to go out and do things now though.

$10-12 beers and $15 cocktails gets expensive over a few weekends.

Re: We may not like what we become if A.I. solves loneliness

#15

Post by Argonaut998 » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 1:13 PM UTC

lalaland1125 wrote: post #5

I don't think we are ready for the risk of mass manipulation through AI relationships. Imagine if Elon decides tomorrow morning that he wants to encourage all of the users of his AI relationship app to support Trump?

A drop in a bucket compared to what already exists via algorithms and the media at large.

Re: We may not like what we become if A.I. solves loneliness

#16

Post by AlecSchueler » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 1:15 PM UTC

cedws wrote: post #9

JKCalhoun wrote: post #3

I've been of the opinion that the web itself has already done this to a large degree. Web surfing (when is the last time you heard that phrase?) has never been a group activity.

There’s also doomscrolling. I genuinely think a large portion of Gen Z would rather stay in bed watching Instagram reels than go out to a bar or club. I’ve been wondering recently what impact banning social media would have on birth rates. I’m confident it would be positive but I’m not sure on what magnitude.

> I’ve been wondering recently what impact banning social media would have on birth rates. I’m confident it would be positive

The obsession with their birth rates is one of the creepy reasons why young people don't want to go out.

Re: We may not like what we become if A.I. solves loneliness

#17

Post by api » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 1:15 PM UTC

cedws wrote: post #9

JKCalhoun wrote: post #3

I've been of the opinion that the web itself has already done this to a large degree. Web surfing (when is the last time you heard that phrase?) has never been a group activity.

There’s also doomscrolling. I genuinely think a large portion of Gen Z would rather stay in bed watching Instagram reels than go out to a bar or club. I’ve been wondering recently what impact banning social media would have on birth rates. I’m confident it would be positive but I’m not sure on what magnitude.

Doomscrolling is very different from web surfing. The mind is far less engaged. It’s a hypnotic state, deeply addictive and soporific.

Contrarian take (not saying I believe this) but what if AI companions actually engage the mind more? Is there some positive path available here?

Re: We may not like what we become if A.I. solves loneliness

#18

Post by nathan_compton » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 1:17 PM UTC

The idea that AI is going to "solve" loneliness is so insane. Even the framing of the idea is insane, in my opinion.

Loneliness is not really about having someone to exchange words with, fundamentally. It is about being validated by other human beings or entities. At a most fundamental level the AI doesn't have a choice except to appear to validate you and this lack of freedom, the fact that you do not win over the AI, means you can't actually get validation from it and without validation you will still be lonely. The notion that all these lonely people out there are so stupid that a robot nodding their head at them and saying "uh huh" is going to trick them into being less lonely ought to be profoundly insulting to everyone.

It is possible that AI might help people process their loneliness or plan their lives or whatever. Maybe one day AIs will be good therapists or not drive people to psychosis. All that seems plausible to me, but they can't meet people's social needs without the capacity to reject people, to form their own peculiar judgements, to be genuine entities whose esteem is actually valuable rather than just something they must appear to provide. AI may one day get there and be creatures who we might want to earn the esteem and approval of, but that doesn't seem to be something people actually want from them economically and it wouldn't solve loneliness anyway, since AI of this kind might well reject a basement dwelling, depressed, sad person just like a human might.

Re: We may not like what we become if A.I. solves loneliness

#19

Post by bloqs » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 1:18 PM UTC

Retr0id wrote: post #10

JKCalhoun wrote: post #3

I've been of the opinion that the web itself has already done this to a large degree. Web surfing (when is the last time you heard that phrase?) has never been a group activity.

> Web surfing has never been a group activity. It often was, in my childhood. There was only one computer.

sadly only a portion of its early existence

Re: We may not like what we become if A.I. solves loneliness

#20

Post by markus_zhang » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 1:18 PM UTC

Loneliness is a benefit, not a curse. I need some degree of loneliness to keep sane.

But it would be very interesting if a beautiful AI companion can teach me Math and Physics. I wonder when they will be able to do that, and with what kind of cost?