Summary: Robotics expert argues AI technology could help reduce feelings of lonelinessA new study suggests that AI companionship could provide social interaction and help people practice social skills, breaking the cycle of loneliness.
However, they warn that regulation may be necessary to prevent an over-reliance on AI. AI's potential in this field could represent a major advance in both human and artificial intelligence understanding.
Key Facts:
- AI CompanionshipAI technology can provide social interaction to combat loneliness.
- Health effectsLoneliness increases the risk of premature death by 26% and leads to a variety of health problems.
- Regulation is neededA potential risk is that users will become too reliant on AI, leading to a need for regulation.
sauce: Taylor & Francis Group
A robotics expert says artificial intelligence (AI) technology could provide companionship to lonely people as loneliness becomes a global epidemic.
Tony Prescott, professor of cognitive robotics at the University of Sheffield, argues in his new book: The Psychology of Artificial Intelligence “Relationships with AI have the potential to support people through different forms of social interaction.”
Loneliness has been found to be seriously harmful to human health, and Professor Prescott argues that advances in AI technology could provide a partial solution.
He argues that people can become increasingly isolated as their self-confidence plummets, sending them into a spiral of loneliness, but that AI could help them “break this cycle” by giving them ways to practice and improve their social skills.
The effects of loneliness
A 2023 report found that loneliness, or lack of social connection, is more harmful to human health than obesity. Loneliness increases the risk of premature death by 26% and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression and anxiety.
The extent of the problem is staggering, with 3.8 million people in the UK feeling chronically lonely, and a Harvard University study in the US found that 36% of American adults and 61% of young adults feel severely lonely.
Professor Prescott said: “At a time when many people are living solitary lives, having interaction with AI as a form of stimulating, personalized and reciprocal social interaction may be valuable. Human loneliness is often characterised by a vicious cycle where isolation leads to low self-esteem which in turn discourages further interaction with people.”
“It's possible that relationships with AIs could help break this cycle by boosting self-esteem and maintaining or improving social skills. If so, relationships with AIs could help people find companionship with both human and artificial others.”
But he suggested it was not without risks as it could be “designed to encourage users to interact for longer and keep coming back”, suggesting regulation might be needed.
AI and the human brain
Combining expertise in robotics and AI with psychology and philosophy, Prescott is a leading expert on the relationship between the human brain and AI, contributing to scientific understanding of the human condition by studying the reproduction of perception, memory and emotion in synthetic entities.
Prescott works in cognitive robotics research and teaching at the University of Sheffield and is also co-founder of Sheffield Robotics, a centre for robotics research.
in The Psychology of Artificial IntelligencePrescott explores the nature of the human mind and its cognitive processes, comparing and contrasting it with the way AI is developing.
This book addresses questions such as:
- Are computers really like brains?
- Will AI surpass humans?
- Is AI creative?
- Could giving an AI a robotic body create a new type of intelligence?
- Can AI help tackle climate change?
- And can humans piggyback off AI to extend their own intelligence?
He concludes: “As psychology and AI advance, this partnership should provide further insights into both natural and artificial intelligence, which may help answer important questions about what it means to be human and for humans to coexist with AI.”
Research news on AI and loneliness
author: Becky Parker Ellis
sauce: Taylor & Francis Group
contact: Becky Parker Ellis – Taylor & Francis Group
image: Image courtesy of Neuroscience News
Original Research: This book is,”The Psychology of Artificial Intelligence” is available to purchase online.
