Can You Talk to AI Like a Friend?

While talking to AI as if it were a person is polite, in reality, AI utterly lacks the emotional empathy and understanding that form the very bases of friendships among human beings. None of the AI models, not even the one which has been used for this text, the GPT-4 model by OpenAI, would understand even a word, though they are trained on billions of words. Their responses depend upon statistical predictions that try to match user input with the most likely response based on patterns and not actual comprehension. It thus follows that while 85% of users would relate to AI in a conversational way, actual understanding of the interaction is purely functional and without emotional depth.
Technically speaking, AI models are set to recognize technical queries and answer everything from calls for customer service to software troubleshooting. Take Microsoft’s Azure AI, for example, that analyzes over a million requests of users each day and fine-tunes responses with algorithms of machine learning rather than emotional processing. These examine keywords, context-but not emotion-and cannot let one in on any comfort the way a friend would. Similarly, when queries are clearly defined, responses that go into Google’s AI Assistant come out 60% better; yet, its processing remains fundamentally mathematical.

Real-world examples reveal several deficiencies in the aptitude of AI in simulating true friendship. Consider Replika, for example-a chatbot using AI to engage its users in emotional conversations-which recently went viral after users reported “feeling connected” to their chatbots. Yet, Replika holds conversations through pure pattern recognition and structured responses. It was “comforting” for the users, who soon realized that responses continued in a circle and were considerably formulaic, even on emotive topics. This is an example that, even when seeming to offer companionship, AI fails in providing human-like connection.

Let’s see what technology-savvy visionaries can add to this discussion of AI and companionship. “AI can never be truly empathetic,” notes Elon Musk, “it’s a mathematical construct, a calculation, not a human mind.” Just the inability of AI to become conscious and hence incapable of relationships is its failure. While users may have one moment of their lives in which they are attached to their devices, the attachment is most definitely one-sided, since the rationale for that attachment is solely based on algorithms of data and nothing more.

Therefore, can one speak with AI as with a friend? The answer speaks volumes in the operational design of AI itself: AI has no awareness or empathy, let alone emotional intelligence, marking real friendships. One could talk about something with AI; it might feel friendly and engaging, but the reactions arise from data, not from an understanding of what is being discussed. Such clarity becomes important now, as more people are turning to AI for companionship and getting responses that quite truthfully AI cannot give. For more detailed information on the topic, follow the link: talk to ai.

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