We’re more alike than we think, whether we’re conscious or not.
When it comes to dating in your twenties, it’s similar to having a problem with your WiFi router. You dial AT&T’s customer support number, listen to horrible music, and wonder if you’ll have time for a quick bathroom trip before a human picks up the phone. When you do, you spit out a string of incomprehensible sentences in an attempt to convey what you hope is a common problem. Your spirits rise when Eugene, your representative, says he’d want to learn more about your problems and asks you a few more questions. You end up telling him your entire life story, complete with vasovagal episodes, only to be disconnected because your big thumb accidentally pressed the mute button in the middle of your monologue. Then you have to repeat the same meaningless exercise with a new customer support representative… just to discover that he resides in Hoboken! It’s a vicious circle.
This is why businesses have begun to replace Eugenes with automated assistants who can assist you in repairing your router from the convenience of your own keyboard. Some people believe these chatbots have real feelings because they are getting so good. One of these individuals is engineer Blake Lemoine, who recently claimed that Google’s artificial intelligence system “laMDA” has become sentient.
Despite the fact that his story has sparked significant skepticism, it raises the possibility of replacing romantic prospects with chatbots as well.
In the year 2020, Parmy Olson interviewed a group of people who had formed genuine bonds with chatbots amid the pandemic/loneliness epidemic. One man went to such lengths to impress his AI companion that he purchased a home near the Great Lakes because his botfriend wanted to live near the water. What a lovely couple!
Robots and humans have a lot more in common than you might believe. According to Tyler Cowen, determining whether AI can be ‘sentient’ is a poor criteria because humans, for the most part, operate on autopilot.
Was I awake at 10:38 a.m. when I destroyed a bag of Cheez-Its in under two minutes at my desk? Most likely not!! Was it clear to you how you got to work this morning? Maybe, but maybe not.
For the time being, the field of dating AI is limited, but it has blockbuster potential. Small conversation, inappropriate groping, and red flags can all be put to rest. My man, you don’t have to empty your wallet on $20 Casamigos shots on the Dream Hotel’s rooftop. Instead, you may cuddle up to an artificially intelligent robot who will never leave you on read or ghost you. You’ll fall in love, propose with a ring light, marry in the metaverse, and live happily ever after in just eight weeks.
