People are surprised that I'm at all introverted--theatre kid, podcaster, etc--but I love to stay in and recharge for those things. And I have dozens of good friends, people I know I could count on in an emergency. It must be awful to imagine most people have fewer than three and think that normal.
That’s what I think a lot of people don’t get about us introverts: we don’t necessarily hate being social. It just takes a lot of energy out of us in order to do so. So we have to recharge lots, and don’t mind being alone to do so.
My hate of even the idea of doing theatre is a separate thing :)
Right? The roughest time was in grad school when periodically I had to be like "hey guys, can't make it this week, have to pick food or enough gas to make it out there."
I'd much rather have a non-burning planet and enough money to visit friends.
Friends can help you move! Friends can feed your cat when you're out of town! Friends can invite you to do things in person, giving you a reason to leave your house!
Friends can say something brilliant when you're in a jam that makes you immediately relax and feel less stressed. Conversely, friends can be so happy for you and with you when something wonderful comes your way.
Friends can hold you while you cry for a loss, tell you the lamest jokes and groan-worthy puns to make you smile, invite you over for good food and bad movies.
Friends will lift you up when you're down, go on adventures with you, and expand your world. And sometimes when you're being a jerk they'll pull you aside and tell you to stop it. AI is just there to repeat something more generic than a human could generate.
Also friends are there not just for you, you’re there for your friends. Ideally it’s not a transactional thing, it’s a we help and love each other thing. Something AI can never do or be.
I think you misunderstand. AI will be promoted as the replacement for friends.
And people will actually think it's better because real people are messy. Plus online interactions can certainly suggest a lot of people are actually asses when they can get away with it.
I wanna push back on 2 here because I think AI absolutely *can* be trained to produce a simulacrum of friendship without the substance
And yeah, most people don't want or need anything like that, but the people who do are isolated & vulnerable & should be encouraged to connect with real people
Trying to make a connection with a real person that turns into an actual friendship is hard -- so AI becomes alluringly convenient.
Plus they can simulate a better friend and listener than anyone except maybe a seasoned crisis line worker who doesn't know you or a shrink.
Living wage, better working conditions, hell, let's throw in a ubi combined with rent control. Those would all GREATLY reduce stress, which reduces the chances of a non-zero amount of people being isolationist, which thus increases being with people.
People want the means to live the good life. Living wages less working hours, more free time, public spaces & opportunities for human encounters, human engagements, & human interaction. pitiful losers like Zuck wanna force everyone to be isolated so they can be mind controlled by AI for profit&power
AI friends are fundamentally not friends because they are not people. Look, I'm very probably autistic. I pack bond with a lot of inanimate things. You cannot have a bond and friendship and connection with a slew of words. It's parasocial at best.
I have maybe 3-5 close friends but a lot more random friends from different walks of life. And I'm an introvert who works from home. Even though we mainly text, an AI holds no appeal for me, especially since I deleted Threads & left FB because I found the social element bad for my mental health
Can't imagine a Meta AI has my best interest at heart. Especially if I get political, talk about queerness or mental health. On Threads their AI kept asking me if I needed su*cide intervention resources and I found it humiliating
Geez!!!! I am also an introvert who works from home. Pretty much just use FB for weather (don’t get broadcast tv coverage where I live), some craft stuff, and local news like what’s on fire today (from local fire departments). I don’t interact with people I know there anymore
Time is the thing. Money is a placeholder for power. If you're at the bottom of the power hierarchy you get no money, no time. You feel shit, worthless - because capitalism needs you to, so it can steal your time for low wages. It takes time to make/be friends.
I want to know how to define friend. Is this someone you hang out with outside of work or school or is this mean could call at any time of need and they would be there? Do they have to someone you communicate regularly with? ND sometimes don’t talk for years and we’re just as close.
As someone who has studied friendship and read a lot on how to define/operationalize it… the only way this could possibly make sense is if it’s counting only close/best friends, and not more casual friends.
This is pretty accurate, and like - there's also different ... types of friends. Like is this AI bot going to help me move my couch or be able to pick me up from the airport? Will it want to go to the movies on Saturday? Play a game friday? TL;DR screw zuckerberg
Me to AI friend: Hey, I’ve got two tickets to [sporting event] this weekend, wanna go?
AI: Unfortunately I am unavailable. However, I will now remind you to buy [team merch] and [equipment for a sport you don’t play]
Me: Sits in stands alone, bombarded by deals on hockey pads.
"Hmm, it seems like as we've corporatized the internet and lobbied for policies that exacerbate wealth stratification people are feeling increasingly isolated and alone. I know! We'll make online robot friends for them to talk to!"
I text grad school buddies in different time zones when I miss them and they are likely to be awake and not at work. Hopefully, they are not using an AI to talk to me
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Yes and they make those by being relaxed and happy, something they get from having a living wage and free time!
My hate of even the idea of doing theatre is a separate thing :)
I'd much rather have a non-burning planet and enough money to visit friends.
1. If you can't make friends, an AI is not going to help solve that problem.
2. Friendship is built & created through interactions with people which releases oxytocin & dopamine. AI doesn't do this
3. We don't need more "it's all about me" people
Just wait for them to influence AI learning.
And people will actually think it's better because real people are messy. Plus online interactions can certainly suggest a lot of people are actually asses when they can get away with it.
It doesn't change what I said. If it is difficult to make friends, an AI friend will not help.
People can be assholes. People have to be held accountable for how they interact with others.
They have to be taught how to interact with others. Socialization is a learned behavior
can stimulate dopamine.
The bonding hormones increase with living things interacting between each other and the stress hormones decrease.
Human to human, human to other animals.
https://edit.sundayriley.com/why-friends-are-important/
And yeah, most people don't want or need anything like that, but the people who do are isolated & vulnerable & should be encouraged to connect with real people
Technology cannot replace relationships & the chemical reactions in a humans brain.
An emotional support animal for bonding would be better than AI
Friends matter, but it’s a little higher up on the hierarchy.
Plus they can simulate a better friend and listener than anyone except maybe a seasoned crisis line worker who doesn't know you or a shrink.
Or stuff that would be better dealt with if the user has money/time/access to real therapy.
AI: Unfortunately I am unavailable. However, I will now remind you to buy [team merch] and [equipment for a sport you don’t play]
Me: Sits in stands alone, bombarded by deals on hockey pads.