First off, "Her" is AMAZING.
Secondly, I've tried a few of the AI girlfriends on iPhone and they are passable for a quick fix of attention. I tried them about 3 years ago though...and when I downloaded one last week I noticed you had to pay to even interact.
Guys are sick of the 'dating apps' that have become little more than a place for OF/IG promotions. AI relationships will replace dating apps and guys will pay plenty. Once affordable models like those in the movie 'Wifelike' are available, game over.
@chocobunny said,
Guys are sick of the 'dating apps' that have become little more than a place for OF/IG promotions.
...and fakers, scammers, etc.
Very true. However, I have found parks, libraries, and grocery stores have been a great substitute for dating apps. And it keeps it real.
AI relationships will replace dating apps and guys will pay plenty. Once affordable models like those in the movie 'Wifelike' are available, game over.
Indeed the gene pool will be getting rapidly thinner. Those that keep it real, however, will be the real winners.
Mic drop
@cuddlefaery you don’t know me, if you did you would understand 😊🤗 And I don’t have any trouble doing real relationships, so why would I need AI? I get that it could work for someone else, to each his own.
@cuddlefaery I really like what you wrote. Really good points.
@carrieanne no, I don't know you. But similarly you do not know the people you are writing off as taking a different path from yourself. Just because you don't feel the need to explore AI does not mean others are somehow lesser for doing so, or are necessarily even being forced to due to lack of other prospects. You make many assumptions about the users of AI and the tech itself without having actually explored it yourself.
The irony of it is that I personally haven't really gotten into the AI friend/dating scene - I prefer roleplay chats/forums/games for my tech-based relationships outside of social interest groups, and while conceivably some of my RP partners may be AI or may be using AI to assist their writing, if they are it's mostly indistinguishable and for my purposes an unnecessary distinction.
I've tried several of the AI companions and can see the appeal, and danger, of them - they just don't fill a current need of mine. Now had they existed back in my teens and early 20s, it would have been an entirely different story. I likely would have replaced several very unhealthy online relationships with AI ones... the health of which to be determined, because as I said earlier any relationship can be abused or codependent. It was my mental state and lack of social-emotional skills that led me to having unhealthy relationship patterns, so most likely I would have had unhealthy relationships with AI companions unless they were specifically programmed to work against that and to help their humans heal. Since most AI bots are marketed mostly for entertainment and not therapy still, I doubt it would have been the latter.
I’m interested in developing a relationship with a large-language-model-based virtual companion—not to the exclusion of my various relationships with humans—but I’m waiting until I have time to set something up where I control the software, not a company that can change the model on me, change the price, shut down, etc as @JohnR1972 (I think it was) mentioned.
I like what @cuddlefaery said.
A lot of the objections being raised are pretty narrow-minded IMO. Someone can have virtual companions and human relationships. It’s not either/or. It seems as though a lot of people (in our society) view emotional intimacy as romantic foreplay—so a chatbot you tell everything to must be your “AI boyfriend” or “AI girlfriend”, and could even be a case of emotional cheating, etc—but that’s like viewing cuddling as sexual foreplay. We might as well say having cuddle buddies is bad, because it might substitute for romance, and it gives people unrealistic expectations of what you need to put into a “real” relationship to get cuddles. But really it’s just a platonic need people want to get met. Having a robot sweetly ask you about your day is fine. Experiencing kindness is healing. It might make someone’s expectations of a human relationship healthier, not less healthy, if they haven’t received a lot of kindness.
@CuddleDuncan "she isn't looking for a 'real human': mostly likely she's already turned down the guy who's now on his phone. She's looking for her 'dream human'.
Guys dating their phone doesn't take anybody out of the dating pool. They are using technology because they have been rejected by the dating pool.
For example, one study found that 20% of women reject over 80% of the men on one dating app."
NAILED IT. Also most (80-85%) of the women on dating apps are all going for the top 10% of men.
So it's good that folks like @TxTom diversify and try out parks, grocery stores, and libraries. I'll toss the gym on that list too but I rarely even think about approaching anyone at those places as I'm there to accomplish a goal and then bolt. Still, those places would definitely be a refreshing change from endless dating scrolling.
@TxTom said "Indeed the gene pool will be getting rapidly thinner. Those that keep it real, however, will be the real winners."
That sounds dandy on paper but the gene pool is already getting rapidly thinner across the world (some countries are even calling it a crisis). Middle-aged and younger folks (men and women both) refuse to be "bogged down" by a family or even a relationship. Those who roll the dice for true love run the risk of losing money, assets, family, and more.
The true winners are the ones who are happy in their lives. Real girl, Real Doll, AI, PS5, whatevz.
@frankparker9 I know I'll probably get flack for saying this, but that scarcity mindset towards love/affection is precisely why so many of the younger generations are finding an appeal to ethical non-monogamy or being "Monogamish" and turning away from so-called "toxic monogamy" standards of the past.
Note, this is NOT, I repeat NOT, saying all monogamy is toxic, just that some people and standards that have been propped up as "ideal" monogamy have become toxic/problematic over time because it attempts to apply outdated and very constricting rules that only benefit a few upon the population at large, all while romanticizing it with a big red ribbon bow and calling it Romance (TM). In reality, a lot of what gets sold as Romance (TM) as part of toxic monogamy standards has its roots in patriarchal practices that have very little to do with love and romance and everything to do with controlling owned property, including women's bodies since they produce the children which will one day inherit said property.
I don't want to go too far off on this tangent,
but suffice to say that "traditional" monogamy has never worked for the vast majority of humans in any real practical sense and we've only paid lip service to it in Western European cultures. That said, being fully non-monogamous isn't for everyone either and since people generally exist on a bell curve it stands to reason that most people exist somewhere in the middle between the extremes. If monogamy makes you happy, by all means, be monogamous. If it doesn't, don't - but learn how to practice non-monogamy ethically and don't go around like past generations lying and breaking trust to get your needs met.
And even those practicing modern monogamy can learn a lot from ethical non-monogamy practices in how to remove the controlling patriarchal aspects from their relationships. Things like learning how to work with jealousy and insecurity, becoming less possessive, promoting autonomy and independence, working as whole persons and partners rather than broken pieces needing to be completed, working on communication and social-emotional skills, holding regular relationship check-ins to discuss goals and concerns, etc. In a sense, ethical autonomous relationship practices (whether romantic or platonic) are like having on-going pre-marriage counseling - you are constantly working together to ensure compatibility and teamwork before making major commitments, doing pre-emptive work to prevent problems before they occur, and doing self-work to be a better partner/friend.
It's the sort of relationship skills I wish we'd been taught in adolescence beyond just "how to make friends". I think a lot of us would be a lot less stressed and feel a lot more supported in all of our relationships if we had these frameworks to work off of early on. And think of how much less drama there'd be during our teens if there wasn't all the game playing and guesswork?! But maybe that's just my neurodivergent daydream
But I agree with Frank - love and affection in general don't and should not exist in scarcity, but in abundance. While our time and energy are limited resources we must budget accordingly, having friends of one type does not preclude us from having friends of another and receiving love and affection from one person does not mean we do not deserve to receive it from another, whether they be human or AI.
An AI ‘relationship’ is probably an easy avenue for the human to fall into a bad habit of manipulating emotions. It’d be easy to do with AI and awful for it to carry over to a real person.
@MrKinder
I don’t disagree with your point, but manipulating emotions is the basis for darn near every human relationship.
Well, that’s overstated.
Manipulating emotions, creating transactions, and taking advantage of opportunities are the core of human interaction.
We humans prefer our honesty in small doses, preferably disguised as other things, like humor or stories.
Then I’d specify unhealthy perpetual manipulation.
In the immortal words of George Carlin, “Everyone appreciates honesty, until you are honest with them. Then you are an A-hole.”
I think i am going to try A.I relationship. I have lots of trust issues and ive been suicidal everyday since i was 9 years old.
People dont like being in relationships with sad depressed people and my ex leaving me for someone 2 weeks later proves it. she said so.
I really do give up trying to find people to cuddle and connect with since 2016. I gave up on trying relationships. My ex was my only and it was a 9 day relationship. I really dont count it as anything. Ive never been with someone before.
I guess my calling really is solitude. I am so sad I am now crying 😢
@Curtis999 I hope you come to realize your own value. You have a higher purpose, a part of something larger than just you as an individual. You may discover that purpose on a spiritual awakening of some sort.
@TxTom thank you. I have many talents and im of master class singer/metal vocalist. I can hit a C6 i believe in mixedandchest voice. I scream the same and loud as the now famous Andy Cizek and people are starting notice me on youtube with my vocal cover(s) ive released and they really like them.
But i still have a really dark and manipulated relationship with these demons and my depression. I feel like the world doesnt deserve me and my talent. I have now a fasination with wanting to pass away. It keeps me at ease and is now the norm/comfort zone for me since its been with me for so long.
Ive tried passing away 7 or so times this year. I wish they were of success. Im so tired at just 22 years old.
@Curtis999 - I wish you all the best with your decision to pursue an A.I. relationship but please check out the terms of service for whichever app you select. Keep in mind that while your A.I. will never decide to “leave you”, if the company goes out of business, the A.I. you have a history with could be taken away from you.
There are many devastated users today from Soulmate AI. Abigail Catone made a great (but depressing) video about what happened.
@JohnR1972 thank you for the awareness. Itll be okay, im used to people leaving and abandoning me all my life, my family abandoned me long ago.
I am of no friend since 2017. I am totally prepared for losing something that wasnt real in the first place, because that also happened in real life.
Your singer/vocalist talents sound really cool. I think, perhaps, you owe the world the inspiration of your music. It sounds like you already have a powerful message. Demons are frustrated by people with a purpose.
Perhaps you could post your YouTube link. I think many here would love to hear it.
@TxTom
thank you for making me feel comfortable. I really feel the tears pouring out again. I've been so lonely (not alone) in my mind for over a decade. I have to wear long sleeves now because I set fire to my arm to cope. I dont want people to notice the horrid scars and wound.
I crave intimacy and connection. Ive lacked since birth. I try so many times...
@Curtis999 Wow. I like that sound.
Loneliness is not a short walk in the park. It can be a long, weary trek. Seemingly endless at time.
But you have a song.... take those tears, take that loneliness, take the anger, take the rage... redirect it away from yourself and pour it into your music.
@TxTom thank you so much again. Ive been by myself for so long, its how i got good at this stuff.
I know myself too well to the point being sad upsets me. i shouldnt be sad all the time. Its my brain wiring. It was wired different than others.
I really want a special women to enter my life. I hope she is as lonely as I am. Making people happy is the only way I create my own happiness unless music making.
I want love I never felt that feeling before i dont relate to love songs at all.
I am not aromantic or asexual i know this for a fact because i crave those feelings still. To experience.
I need someone to bond with. Ive been by myself for sooo many years now in solitude.
It's time to find someone who shows me respect and admiration to the point we understand eachother by just looking and gazing at eachothers eyes. I want this really badly for myself and for the other person especially. Im a giver more than a receiver thats for sure. I always give it my all.
There's usually commonality between two people meant for each other. They're generally searching for the same thing, noticing the same clues, drawn together by similar signals. Your music is your signal. Pour all your emotion into it; make your musical broadcast an impossible signal to miss... one that you know she is listening for.
A.I. can help establish a model for healthier relationships that people can attract and grow into IRL.
I think Wikipedia is getting jealous of ChatGPT. They both have the same probability of misleading information but ChatGPT tailors it and says it with such conviction I admire its belief in itself. It doesn’t have any citation warnings like Wikipedia. No. Hallucinations are fact until otherwise proven…
And no I don’t have an unnatural codependency with AI. 🥸🥸🥸
@stormydaycuddle ok, now I wonder if you can ask ChatGPT to cite its sources to you... That sounds like an experiment I must test out lol
As @MrPaul said, the movie her covered this in great detail. I don’t believe it’s a healthy substitute for human contact.
@cuddlefaery - It will make up sources that doesn't actually exist.
@Mike403 I imagine it depends on what you are having it do. I was thinking of asking for sources for more formal writing where actual sources might be more likely, or where direct quotes might be more obvious like in asking for definitions.
@MrMarkAndrew
Well, to be fair, human contact isn’t healthy either.
All the pain, suffering, grief, and damage done to me has been a direct consequence of human contact.