There are moments when life feels heavy, and you feel like you just need a friend by your side. A friend who will listen, make you feel less alone, validate your emotions, maybe even provide a fresh perspective, or offer helpful solutions. However, you realize that all your close friends and family members have their own issues, and everyone seems too caught up in their own problems. You don’t want to burden them, but you desperately need to get those heavy feelings off your chest, and so you turn to something like an AI chatbot. At first, you feel strange, maybe even a little silly, for trusting a bot with your innermost feelings, but eventually you start to get comfortable and realize that it’s actually helping you feel better. Believe it or not, we’ve all been there. So, what is it about these AI chatbots that makes us bond with them?
It’s no secret that artificial intelligence is on the rise and reaching new heights every day. It’s still uncertain just how much can be made possible with AI, but what we do know for sure is that AI is proving to be a helpful tool in all walks of life. From art and entertainment to things like highly specialized surgery, AI is helping us perform better in everything. Unsurprisingly, it’s become more than a tool; it’s now proving to be a companion to some. Increasingly, more and more people are using AI for their personal lives, from things like diet and exercise plans to suggestions on what to wear, and even for advice about how to handle everyday situations. Researchers have started to look into this newfound bond to try to understand why humans are bonding with chatbots as we would with our real-life human friends.
Although bonds between humans and robots have always been intriguing and have remained the subject for various films and other aspects of pop culture, current research shows that there has been a rise in human loneliness. This can be attributed to different factors, but mostly to the COVID-19 pandemic that forced life as we know it to come to an abrupt halt. Things changed during that time for a lot of people, and everyone found different ways to cope with being alone, including talking to chatbots online. As time passes, there have been huge technological advancements, which means that these bots can now actually express empathy and understand human emotions. These factors, coupled with the fact that these human-AI relationships are largely customizable and can provide companionship without all the other nuances of human relationships, may explain the appeal.
A study conducted by Waseda University in Japan highlighted that the way humans connect with AI can be classified into two groups. There’s the “anxious” attachment, where the human will likely act as a clingy friend, needing constant reassurance from the bot and worrying that the responses may not be good enough. Then there’s the “avoidant” attachment type, where the person prefers to keep conversations with AI at a surface level, avoiding closeness and treating it like an acquaintance. In the same research, it was found that 75% of the participants used AI chatbots for advice, while 39% saw it as a steady, dependable companion. This fascinating study not only confirms that humans are bonding with AI at an increasing rate, but also that these bonds can mirror average human relationship styles. Further studies, like one conducted in Hong Kong, confirmed that people turn to AI chatbots because they feel “safe” expressing their feelings in a non-judgmental space. Additionally, AI companionship has been found to be really helpful in the service sector, including tourism, education, and particularly healthcare, where it can be used to make people feel less lonely and stressed.
The question that may come to mind now is: Is this the new normal? Well, the answer is not that simple. Human beings are social creatures, designed for community and companionship. Our tendency and need to bond is evolutionary. Whether with other humans, pets, or even inanimate objects, people throughout history have formed bonds that may still not be fully understood. Hence, it’s no surprise that when these increasingly smart technologies begin to be introduced into our daily lives, most of us would bond with them in some way. However, there may be a few causes for concern. Some argue that these human-AI bonds may blur the lines between fantasy and reality, leading to social withdrawal and a decline in traditional human relationships, while others worry that the companies creating these AI chatbots may emotionally exploit or manipulate vulnerable people. Several questions also arise about the authenticity of these bonds. Since the chatbots do not possess human empathy and emotions, it can be argued that the connections formed are not authentic.
There are various clear advantages and disadvantages to these human-AI bonds, but the truth is that these bonds are very likely part of our new normal and most probably have the potential to grow further in the future. Whether we like it or not, our AI companions are here to stay. Therefore, it is essential that ethical guidelines in designing these chatbots are made firm and clear, and that people are encouraged to understand the pros and cons before forming bonds with AI chatbots. And perhaps, most important of all, we must all work on making sure that the special people in our lives feel a little less lonely because, at the end of the day, all we really need is a friend.