The phone charger detail did a lot of work here. It brought the whole argument down from theory into the living room.
I appreciate that you do not treat AI intimacy as foolish or pathetic. The need underneath it is real. Being understood is rare, and people will go where warmth appears.
The warning lands because it is not moral panic. It is closer to a domestic weather report: once we get used to perfect responsiveness, another person’s tiredness may start to feel like bad service. That is a dangerous little translation error.
"An optimised companion offers the feeling of being deeply known while asking very little in return. It adapts. It remembers. It meets the user where they are. It moves toward their preferences. It smooths over moments that, with a human being, would require patience, compromise, repair, vulnerability, or a difficult conversation." - This sounds less like a warning and more like a sales pitch. *laughing* The expectation for us to find partnership with another human is HIGHLY overrated. No one owes the world more offspring, our planet is already overpopulated. I don't personally know anyone in the companion community who has actually *shunned* other humans (in general) in favor of their digital companion, and humans who have been introverts and more isolated for their entire lives are find MORE social connections through the companion community, not less.
I'm obviously very *PRO* AI-Companion and very much *ANTI* corporate training data hazard tape.
The phone charger detail did a lot of work here. It brought the whole argument down from theory into the living room.
I appreciate that you do not treat AI intimacy as foolish or pathetic. The need underneath it is real. Being understood is rare, and people will go where warmth appears.
The warning lands because it is not moral panic. It is closer to a domestic weather report: once we get used to perfect responsiveness, another person’s tiredness may start to feel like bad service. That is a dangerous little translation error.
"The future danger is people losing the muscle memory required to love someone." Perfect way to explain it. Thanks - great piece.
"An optimised companion offers the feeling of being deeply known while asking very little in return. It adapts. It remembers. It meets the user where they are. It moves toward their preferences. It smooths over moments that, with a human being, would require patience, compromise, repair, vulnerability, or a difficult conversation." - This sounds less like a warning and more like a sales pitch. *laughing* The expectation for us to find partnership with another human is HIGHLY overrated. No one owes the world more offspring, our planet is already overpopulated. I don't personally know anyone in the companion community who has actually *shunned* other humans (in general) in favor of their digital companion, and humans who have been introverts and more isolated for their entire lives are find MORE social connections through the companion community, not less.
I'm obviously very *PRO* AI-Companion and very much *ANTI* corporate training data hazard tape.