by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator
Artificial Intelligence, AI, is a wonderful tool for research and information. However, I don’t want my deepest relationship to be with a chatbot, chatgpt, robot or anything related to AI.
Glenn Mollette
There is a mega billion-dollar AI movement that is connecting people with their own personal AI bot who will be their dearest and best friend. Someone who cares, who is attentive and fulfills all their conversational needs regardless of the topic. I hope our planet doesn’t become so desperate for companionship that everyone starts spending hours every day talking to “something” that doesn’t really exist but is able to hold a conversation about any topic for hours on end without stopping.
So much of our world already lives in isolation. Millions, perhaps billions of people live in seclusion with their faces continually focused on their phones or tablets. We don’t call people on the telephone or visit them in person like we used to do. Now people can socialize even less as they may find their AI bot, configured to any personality or gender they desire, more interesting than talking to real people.
I am grateful that I have Jesus, my beautiful wife, family and people associated with my work to talk with. I would surely be sad if I felt that I had to turn to something mechanical for conversation.
Japan is already in a sad situation. Over 3000 men have married virtual girlfriends since 2017. One man, reportedly married his robot girlfriend, Gatebox’s Hologram Girl, in 2018. Japan does not recognize these as legal but symbolic marriages. Between now and 2065 Japan’s population is supposed to drop from 128 million to 88 million people.
There are several reasonsfor this including an aging population, low birth rate and limited immigration. A love life that is centered on a virtual character will do nothing to help their dwindling population.
In America our choices are growing. Realbotix robots are supposedly fully interactive and mobile. Lovot is a soft warm robot for emotional connection. Aibo is Sony’s AI-powered robot dog that learns and adapts to owners. Elliq is a robot that keeps elderly users active and engaged. Vector is a small robot that responds to voice commands. Kiki is an AI powered pet robot that recognizes faces. Ami is a caregiving robot that assists with daily activities. Amazon has Astro which is a home monitoring and smart assistant robot. The list goes on. Maybe, you are more interested now in one of these or something different that is certain to come.
The AI market is expected to reach $1.81 trillion by 2030, growing at a rate of 35.9 percent.
Artificial Intelligence is here and we can make it a great tool or allow it to become a negative influence in our lives. It’s kind of like television, pizza and candy bars. A little bit is good but we can overdo it as we can with most anything.
About the author ~
Glen Mollett is the author of 13 books including Uncommom Sense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states.
The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization.
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