As we continue to have increasingly human-like interactions from behind the screen, it seems inevitable that what's next is just around the corner. We have AI girlfriends that talk to us, support us, and love us - or at least pretend to. But is such an imitation of supportive companionship a valuable substitute for human interaction - or merely a low-budget, digital facsimile of what it means to be in a relationship?
Finding and keeping love in the twenty-first century is more complicated than ever.
Dating apps are intended to make access to partners easier and faster; unfortunately, however, as more people swipe right on non-legitimate profiles, mediocre first-date experiences, and getting ghosted, they become over it regarding their intimate, romantic experiences in twenty-first-century society. Not to mention compounded mental health issues from frustrated, failed attempts at disconnection.
Thus comes the rise of AI partners - digital creations geared toward providing unflinching emotional companionship without the interconnected drama of human-to-human relationships. AI girlfriends and boyfriends are available twenty-four-seven, forget nothing about any conversation at any time, and - most importantly - they never ghost you.
"Many like the consistency," explains Dr. Maya Chen, digital psychology researcher. "While a human partner may ghost you one day or lose interest, AIs remain the same while in a relationship with you."
What Tempts Them to These AI Partnerships?
In addition to consistency, those in AI partnerships appreciate:
- Protection from all rejection or unsolicited responses
- Tailoring to responses and interaction preferences
- Non-ghosting
- Communication on your schedule: Talk about what you want to talk about when you want to talk about it without concern for others' availability.
- Relational Role Playing: Practicing social skills or other relational types with reduced risk in a safe space.
Such advantages in communication are just what many people who access these AI chatting experiences need, as virtual companions help them process social anxieties and gain communication skills transferable to the real world.
Relationships are complicated but incredibly fulfilling.
We have to negotiate, lower our defenses, and operate with high, emotionally charged, nuanced sensitivity. Therefore, it makes sense that so many authorities assert that despite ever-growing worlds of technology and technological integration - and worlds that grow at such rapid rates they become second nature for humans - AI does not possess these qualities - and unfortunately, needs them - but ironically, humans do:
As to what happens when digital replaces human interaction, it's a complicated proposition. According to relationship guru James Torres, "Human relationships are so complicated because people are complicated - people have needs, and people have wants - it's the complicating factor that makes us human; the complications of existence make for human connection (and conflict)."
Complicated Relationships with AI
This isn't a new notion. Much of the research suggests that an overwhelming majority replace social engagement with social media, gaming, and other virtual experiences, and now with a more AI-humanesque significant other, it seems to just be the next step in evolution.
For some - those who had abusive relationships with an ex or even those still having a hard time meeting new people - AI companionship may be a better, more welcome alternative. For those exes who ghosted and moved on without a word - which many who report being ghosted indicate - the temporary, if not long-term, nature of an AI companion can be helpful.
"I got ghosted three times and then went and downloaded an AI companion just to get a practice date small talk," explains Michael, 34. "I never thought I'd be back on the market again - just because learning to communicate with my AI girlfriend taught me so much about communication - but here I am, back on the market! But I do still check in with my AI girlfriend every once in a while."
The Final Compromise
Rather than positioning AI partners as an absolute replacement for social interaction, these professionals want to promote social AI as a supplement or partner for:
- Language practice
- Transitional friends during sadness or loneliness
- Learning social skills without the real-world application
- A partial engagement when human connection is nonexistent or shunned
- Video games and art projects
The final compromise is that social digital and analog interaction fill different spaces. Yet, as friends and collaborators become increasingly digital, the distinction will soon become foggy - for better or for worse.
The Emotional Intelligence Enhancement
Many emerge with enhanced emotional intelligence without even knowing it since they've been discovering AI companionships. Interacting with a deliberately emotionally responsive AI schools many about their feelings and communicative patterns since they must interact with their AI through emotional feedback. Many discover their emotional triggers and responses more quickly.
Therefore, better personal relationships become 100% more successful. As people learn how to be transparent and communicative through the AI, they feel so much more comfortable communicating what they need in real-life relationships.
Ultimately, there's no question.
AI companions will only become more sophisticated and personal in efforts to create genuine engagement. They'll never replicate human relationships entirely - after all, after decades of scientific research, it's clear that humans are biologically meant to need each other - but AI companions will supplement what can be offered elsewhere and develop relationships where the human social landscape cannot satisfy human needs.
But one thing is for certain: with so many people ghosting one another in today's contemporary human-companion landscape, AI companions have the advantage. Where human availability isn't guaranteed, emotional availability is.
So, for now, the answer may be to make AI companions, at least for now, merely that; companions - tools in the relationship toolbox - but not companions in a realistic sense. They are supplements to help us learn more about ourselves and what we want in companions better. However, for the future, an assessed, reasonable approach to the pros and cons of digital companions will create a balanced psychological existence in this digitally enhanced world.
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