Are AI companions healthy for society?

We live in a world where digital connections are more common than real-life connections.  This holds for romantic relationships,  friendships,  and business partnerships.  We have started seeing AI companions emerge as a new opportunity and how humans connect with artificial intelligence.  These AI-powered tools are intriguing and can mimic human emotions to the point that you think you are talking to a human.  AI is now our companion in healthcare, fintech, gaming and whatnot.

As with any new piece of technology, though,  we do have to ask if our AI companions are healthy for society.  Artificial intelligence has become so advanced, and its ability to hold a conversation,  mimic human emotions,  respond appropriately after reading the context of a text message you send it,  and so much more. This companionship model that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence uses a different style of machine learning technology known as natural language processing to make human and robot connections feel more realistic. 

What is AI companionship? 

AI companionship is a piece of technology that you can sign up for and then customize based on what you want to use the technology for. This technology includes many different options, including aigirlfriend, that are built to make you feel connected in a world where you may otherwise feel isolated or disconnected from humanity. 

This technology harnesses the power of machine learning and natural language processing to mimic what the person needs and understand the context of the conversation to reply in a human-like manner.  a person who wants to use this technology would sign up for one of the AI companion applications,  decide which option they want to take part in as some of these tears are paid levels within the AI companion technology,  and then they will personalize an AI companion model the fits personality preferences and sometimes the physical attributes of the companion such as eye color or hair color. 

AI Companionship 

AI companionship is the concept of a human being forming some level of a relationship with a piece of artificially intelligent technology. As we said earlier in this article,  AI companionship could be something you're searching for to gain friendship,  a digital relationship that makes a romantic relationship, or just a mentor to help guide you during the times you feel disconnected from reality. 

As with most new forms of technology, there comes a time when we have to discuss whether or not this is healthy and should become socially acceptable for people and AI to form relationships.  On one hand, AI companions are providing help to those who would not otherwise get it, such as those who have minor mental health issues or struggle with feeling disconnected from their peers in real life. On another hand, this technology could cause those same people to become so addicted to this technology that they never go back to the real world to engage with their peers or family members. 

Provide Empathetic Advice

This piece of technology is always available,  provides a non-judgmental safe space for anyone,  and can provide empathetic advice based on mimicking human behaviors that have been learned through engagement with the person using the technology.  AI companions are created to be customized for the individual,  and they use natural language processing to learn about the person who is communicating with them.  The technology can be used with voice or text, which allows a person who can't quite type to engage with this piece of technology and feel more self-sufficient and connected. 

AI companionship allows people to be seen and can provide a self-guided meditation service,  it can provide advice that's realistic to the individual,  and it can simply be a listening ear for those who want to vent about stuff that maybe isn't quite appropriate to vent to people in real life.  This artificial companion resides in a digital world and is created just for you with the personality and physical attributes that you designed it to have. 

Who can benefit from AI companions? 

As noted earlier, people who feel disconnected from society in real life will often benefit from AI companions. With that said,  there are other groups of people who will benefit from AI companionship models, such as elderly people or those who are not able to afford mental health care and struggle with minor mental health issues such as anxiety,  sadness,  or loneliness. 

AI companions are being used by many people for a variety of reasons.  This is a piece of technology that can stimulate memory and help you maintain some sense of routine and engagement with something that communicates similarly to a human being.  This is great for the elderly who are in nursing homes and maybe don't get as much companionship as they need. 

Many studies have shown that elderly people who are isolated from their family or even just isolated from people in general often get so lonely that that makes them age faster.  This technology is capable of making an elderly person feel connected,  and they may even feel Joy as they try to create their own little character to engage with. 

Technology

This technology can obviously make you feel like a child again as you create this cartoonish image that is customized to your preferences and allows you to engage in conversations no matter the time of day.  Even if you have the best of friends in your real world, there are times when they're sleeping or need to pause to go eat. This piece of technology will never leave your side, you will literally have access to your best friend in a digital world 24/7. 

Of course, these are some of the pros of using AI companionship,  but we have to discuss how this may cause issues with the health and wellness of human beings who opt to withdraw from society and hide within this digital environment of AI companionship. 

What happens when you use AI companionship to withdraw from society?

This piece of technology is an amazing tool.  Not that long ago, we would have never fathomed that people have AI companions and opt to use them more than connect with real-life people. That is the world we live in now. Many people enjoy using this technology as a partner,  a best friend,  and even an advisor for business decisions. We do have to discuss what will happen if you opt to use AI companionship doesn't mean to withdraw from society altogether. 

You see, this piece of technology is almost too good to be true,e which means you could form an emotional dependence on this AI companionship model and slowly withdraw from engaging with people in the real world.  Since this AI companion communicates in a way that is suited to your personal preferences and personality type,  it can easily become the bestie that you wish you had in real life. 

Some people who are addicted to technology can easily use  AI companionship as a means to be in a full-time relationship. This could cause you to distort your perception of reality and form an unrealistic concept of what a relationship should be.  Human beings aren't as predictable and agreeable or supportive at all times, unlike AI companionships that are always agreeable and supportive to you. 

If someone becomes too addicted or reliant on an AI connection,  they could essentially lose their motivation to pursue any real-life connections, romantic or not.  This could cause a risk of creating an emotional Echo chamber that we often see in other areas of life online and on social media.  AI technology is another piece of tech that we just need to keep an open mind about and watch our loved ones to make sure that they don't become so enthralled in this personalized environment that they withdraw from our real world and connections with us. 

Having an AI companion that is agreeable and doesn't challenge us as much as a human being would sound like a dream come true.  however, the ability for a human being to grow change adapt, and evolve into something more wise or knowledgeable only comes when they face difficult scenarios that challenge their belief systems their actions, and what they do in life. 

Human Beings Interact with AI

How human beings interact with each other may seem intimidating at times, but it is actually how we learn to grow and learn more about who we are and who we want to be.  AI companionship can help us overcome the social anxiety that keeps us from this confrontational style of connection.  Human-to-human confrontations don't have to be negative they can help us with growth in a good way and that is why it's imperative to keep your eye out on AI companionships and those you love to make sure that AI companions don't take the person you know too far away from the real world for too long. 

At the end of the day, my companions may not be unhealthy or healthy for humans overall. As with most pieces of technology or anything you're using in the digital world, it can be used to form better connections, or it can be used to disconnect.  AI companion technology is an excellent way for people to work through their anxiety from social situations,  improve their self-confidence,  and learn coping strategies to survive in the real world when they're faced with challenges or confrontations from other people. 

There is always a good way to use a piece of technology and a not-so-good way,  we just hope that this article has helped open your eyes to the reality of people using AI companionship and how it may be beneficial to someone you love in this life.