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BrdigeTrlol t1_jdqb127 wrote

Reply to comment by despitegirls in AI chatbot company Replika restores erotic roleplay for some users by Saltedline

Honestly if your last sentence is true then the human race is doomed to be disconnected from itself (and possibly doomed period when considering the inevitable result would be plummeting birth rates, but I'm sure we'll be using artificial wombs by this point). I could see a lot of people viewing AI interaction as being more rewarding than human interaction. That's honestly just sad because until AI can physically imitate the intimacy of physical human interaction (which I'm sure they will eventually be able to, but probably not by this point) these people will be missing out on things that are probably crucial for mental health without realizing it (touch of all kinds of incredibly powerful and there is no current or forseeable substitute for it [outside of possibly future pharmaceuticals or similar, but maybe that's where we're inevitably headed]).

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despitegirls t1_jdsisqj wrote

I think there will always be some portion of people who lean on technology when it comes to dating. I'm glad dating apps exist because I certainly didn't have the social skills to do it in person when I was younger, though I can now after bettering myself and gaining confidence.

I think AI relationships will take many forms. For some, it will be their only form of romantic relationship. For others, it will be in parallel with a relationship with a human, probably not too different fundamentally with poly relationships now, where each partner provides a different experience and allows the person to explore different parts of themselves. It might be that an AI partner fulfills the emotional aspects whereas a human partner fulfills the physical. Again, as long as the human realizes the nature of the relationship and gains consent from humans involved, I don't see a big problem with it.

That said, I definitely see how this reliance on tech has changed dating. Some older people in my social groups that were recently divorced lament the fact that even in their age group, dating often starts with apps. Likewise, AI relationships can and likely will continue to provide "an ideal partner", which can create unrealistic expectations in human partners. This is also briefly discussed in the podcast I mentioned.

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