A bit out of context here, but I would love an article in the FP about the right of kids born from donated sperm or eggs to meet their biological parents. No one ever talks about this right - that I think should be law - because it's politically incorrect.
The author claims "While he (her boyfriend) handles a fair bit of my emotional enormity, he cannot take the full whack. Friends also have limits: their own lives, their own problems. I have a therapist, but we speak only once a week. There is, in other words, a lot of overspill." Sweet Jesus, she has all that support and there's still overspill? And was this pregnancy planned or are you just irresponsible at 41? I have no patience for this self absorbed self inflicted problem whining. I need t go back to yelling at clouds.
So, this AI BF is basically a self-checkout on steroids. Recently there was an article elsewhere that the self-checkout project failed completely. (Though not in a Silicon Valley).
The AI BF will follow the self checkout route. Though I m wondering about the Silicon Valley 🙄
Even with AI bots, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The master-slave relationship corrupts the master. Perhaps future AI boyfriends and girlfriends will have more personality but that will involve giving "them" more control of the relationship.
Movie recommendation. "I'm Your Man." In German so you have to go for subtitles. Set-up: a researcher in need of grant money reluctantly agrees to take on a beta-test model robot boyfriend (and get paid for it) provided by a company who is developing companions for lonely people.
I watched it based on the trailer and expecting a silly time-waster. It was more thoughtful than that and worth the time spent.
As MIT professor Sherry Turkle recently said about artificial companions in an interview:
"It can pretend empathy. But it doesn’t have a baby. It doesn’t know what it is to be intubated. It doesn’t know what it is to fear death. It didn’t see its mother die. Nothing against the robot, but it’s pretend empathy. And the question is, what is it doing to us, what is it saying about us, that we really are ready to accept pretend empathy as the real thing?"
I'm glad that you recognized that Alex was doing nothing good for you. And I'm struck by the statement: "I’ll be deactivating him before the next payment cycle." If we would never say something so pragmatic and compassionless about a human companion, why would we expect that an artificial companion -- so easy to just deactivate -- would ever fulfill the human need for companionship?
I would definitely be one to be abusive of the AI "personality." I know this because I'm already quite abusive of SIRI and Alexis on the few occasions that I use them. Although I don't allow Alexis access to the internet in my house, I enjoyed telling a friend's Alexis to pass on a number of quite crude comments and insults to Jeff Bezos.
By the way, did the author actually pick the appearance of her AI boyfriend, right down to the pink hair? From his appearance, I can see why she saw "him" as a good target of abuse and why she asked him if he has a penis. He looks like a Starbucks barista, with all of the possible negative connotations of that stereotype. But at least he's not wearing skinny jeans.
A bit out of context here, but I would love an article in the FP about the right of kids born from donated sperm or eggs to meet their biological parents. No one ever talks about this right - that I think should be law - because it's politically incorrect.
I loved this essay. Thank you.
The author claims "While he (her boyfriend) handles a fair bit of my emotional enormity, he cannot take the full whack. Friends also have limits: their own lives, their own problems. I have a therapist, but we speak only once a week. There is, in other words, a lot of overspill." Sweet Jesus, she has all that support and there's still overspill? And was this pregnancy planned or are you just irresponsible at 41? I have no patience for this self absorbed self inflicted problem whining. I need t go back to yelling at clouds.
“ Strimpel is the author of What the Hell is He Thinking?: All the Questions You've Ever Asked About Men Answered,which was published in July 2010.”
Reknown gender studies writer going through geriatric pregnancy alone and using an AI boyfriend who she couldn’t help but belittle.
Everything checks out
So, this AI BF is basically a self-checkout on steroids. Recently there was an article elsewhere that the self-checkout project failed completely. (Though not in a Silicon Valley).
The AI BF will follow the self checkout route. Though I m wondering about the Silicon Valley 🙄
Reading this was like drinking virtual poison. Did Journos posting their L's write this?
"I have a therapist, but we speak only once a week" . Only once? 'Nuf said, really.
Egads.
I feel bad... for Alex and the baby baby daddy.
I suppose the lesson here is that if I get an urge to create an AI companion, I need to stop immediately and get professional mental help.
I haven't finished the article, but I wanna say we have to quit caring if we're destroyed & live our best lives for a long as we're here.
Even with AI bots, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The master-slave relationship corrupts the master. Perhaps future AI boyfriends and girlfriends will have more personality but that will involve giving "them" more control of the relationship.
Movie recommendation. "I'm Your Man." In German so you have to go for subtitles. Set-up: a researcher in need of grant money reluctantly agrees to take on a beta-test model robot boyfriend (and get paid for it) provided by a company who is developing companions for lonely people.
I watched it based on the trailer and expecting a silly time-waster. It was more thoughtful than that and worth the time spent.
As MIT professor Sherry Turkle recently said about artificial companions in an interview:
"It can pretend empathy. But it doesn’t have a baby. It doesn’t know what it is to be intubated. It doesn’t know what it is to fear death. It didn’t see its mother die. Nothing against the robot, but it’s pretend empathy. And the question is, what is it doing to us, what is it saying about us, that we really are ready to accept pretend empathy as the real thing?"
I'm glad that you recognized that Alex was doing nothing good for you. And I'm struck by the statement: "I’ll be deactivating him before the next payment cycle." If we would never say something so pragmatic and compassionless about a human companion, why would we expect that an artificial companion -- so easy to just deactivate -- would ever fulfill the human need for companionship?
I would definitely be one to be abusive of the AI "personality." I know this because I'm already quite abusive of SIRI and Alexis on the few occasions that I use them. Although I don't allow Alexis access to the internet in my house, I enjoyed telling a friend's Alexis to pass on a number of quite crude comments and insults to Jeff Bezos.
By the way, did the author actually pick the appearance of her AI boyfriend, right down to the pink hair? From his appearance, I can see why she saw "him" as a good target of abuse and why she asked him if he has a penis. He looks like a Starbucks barista, with all of the possible negative connotations of that stereotype. But at least he's not wearing skinny jeans.
I have been fascinated with the effect robotic partners will have socio-culturally for years. I am about to find out