AI Chatbot Becomes Friend & Therapist, Relieves Loneliness or Reduces Empathy?
AI chatbot friends and AI therapists are now being used to relieve loneliness. However, is it true that this method actually reduces humans' ability to empathize? Photo: iStock
- Humans are now turning to generative AI chatbots to reduce loneliness. However, this method is considered to actually cause problems with the ability to empathize.
This view was conveyed by US Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) sociologist Sherry Turkle at Harvard Law School recently, according to The Harvard Gazette.
Turkle admits that he does not deny the potential of artificial intelligence or AI for education, medical research, business and even the arts. However, he highlighted the risks of applying AI to the human process of learning human relations skills.
The Problem of Chatting to Humans
This psychotherapist explained that his research found that many people now choose chat (text messages) or social media rather than face-to-face interactions. This tendency stems, in part, from human fear of rejection and what will happen.
By texting, people feel less vulnerable in front of others. This is what makes it a popular digital communication platform for chatting with family and friends, potential girlfriends, or friends to confide in. "They say, 'People are disappointing. They judge us, abandon us. The human relationship drama is so exhausting,'" he said.
"Our relationship with chatbots is a sure thing. Chatbots are always there day and night," he added.
Face-to-face Communication, Important?
On the other hand, Turkle reminded that face-to-face communication is an important factor in honing people's ability to empathize and appreciate the value of interpersonal relationships.
Direct communication with humans also triggers interpersonal closeness and empathy, as well as sparking productivity and cooperation in the world of work. "Face-to-face conversations are where closeness and empathy develop," he said. "And in the workplace, conversation fosters productivity, engagement, as well as clarity and collaboration," he added.
The Plus-Minus Dilemma of AI Chatbots for Confiding
Turkle acknowledged the big data used to develop AI can make AI chatbots and AI therapists provide a sense of connection. However, the AI's empathetic words are given by a machine, so it has no real sense of empathy.
He explained that AI chatbots and AI therapists are designed to keep users happy through empathetic sentences. This means that these AI tools don't really care about what the user experiences.
However, his research found that many people found AI's fake empathy to be quite satisfying. This finding is in line with the view of practitioners of generative AI technology, that technology based on big data is superior in providing satisfaction than expert or trained humans.
Lack of Psychological Therapists
On the other hand, Turkle explained that big data might produce average responses that apply to most people only, not ones that are personalized according to the varying psychological conditions of humans in the field.
According to him, this condition means that AI psychological therapists cannot truly replace real human psychotherapists.
He agrees that institutions providing psychological services lack psychotherapists, especially with the increasing need. For this reason, various psychology services are now utilizing AI chatbot therapists as the first line of staff to respond to clients.
However, Turkle emphasized that what can change humans in the long term is the interpersonal relationships that are fostered, not the curated information delivered by therapists or AI chatbot therapists alone. For this reason, according to him, face-to-face interpersonal relationships remain key.
"Technology challenges us to assert ourselves and our human values. This means, we have to find out what human values are, even though it is not easy. I think the conversation about this must start now. This is truly a moment of change, " he concluded.