Man made intelligence would possibly well well alleviate loneliness, says expert

Man made Intelligence (AI) technology would possibly well well offer companionship to lonely folks amid an international epidemic of loneliness, says a robotics expert.

Tony Prescott, a professor of cognitive robotics at the University of Sheffield, argues in his recent book “The Psychology of Man made Intelligence” that “relationships with AIs would possibly well well give a acquire to folks” with forms of social interaction.

Loneliness has been stumbled on to noticeably impair human health, and Professor Prescott makes a case that advances in AI technology would possibly well well offer a partial resolution.

He argues that folks can spiral into loneliness, changing into an increasing number of disconnected as their confidence plummets, and that AI would possibly well well abet folks to “atomize the cycle” by giving them a ability to coach and toughen their social skills.

The impression of loneliness

Loneliness—or social disconnection—is extra rotten to human health than obesity, primarily based mostly on a 2023 document. A 2015 see confirmed it goes to magnify the be troubled of untimely demise by 26% and is associated with the next be troubled of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, despair and terror.

The extent of the topic is inserting: Within the U.Ample. 3.8 million folks are experiencing chronic loneliness. A Harvard see in the U.S. stumbled on that 36% of US adults—and 61% of young adults—journey important loneliness.

Professor Prescott says, “In an age when many participants describe their lives as lonely, there would possibly be more seemingly to be value in having AI companionship as a assemble of reciprocal social interaction that is stimulating and personalized. Human loneliness is on the entire characterized by a downward spiral in which isolation leads to lower self-treasure, which discourages additional interaction with folks.

“There is more seemingly to be ways in which AI companionship would possibly well well abet atomize this cycle by scaffolding feelings of self esteem and helping withhold or toughen social skills. If that is the case, relationships with AIs would possibly well well give a acquire to folks to search out companionship with both human and synthetic others.”

He does imply right here’s no longer without be troubled, nonetheless, because it goes to be “designed to help customers to occupy interaction for longer and longer sessions and to acquire them coming help,” and suggests law is more seemingly to be important.

AI and the human brain

Prescott is a leading expert on the relationship between the human brain and AI, combining expertise in robotics and AI with psychology and philosophy. He contributes to the scientific opinion of the human situation by researching the recent version of perception, memory, and emotion in synthetic entities.

Moreover to researching and teaching cognitive robotics at the University of Sheffield, Prescott is also the co-founding father of Sheffield Robotics, which is a hub for robotics research.

In “The Psychology of Man made Intelligence,” Prescott explores the character of the human thoughts and its cognitive processes and compares and contrasts this with the intention in which AI is establishing.

The book explores questions in conjunction with:

• Are computer programs in spite of all the pieces treasure brains?
• Will AI surpass humans?
• Does AI occupy the flexibility to be ingenious?
• Would giving AI a robotic body allow it to create recent forms of intelligence?
• Would possibly presumably well well also AI abet us take care of climate change?
• And would possibly well well still humans “piggyback” on AI to delay their very acquire intelligence?

He concludes, “As psychology and AI proceed, this partnership would possibly well well still release additional insights into both natural and synthetic intelligence. This would possibly well well abet respond some key questions about what it technique to be human and for humans to live alongside AI.”

Extra files:
Tony Prescott, The Psychology of Man made Intelligence (2024). DOI: 10.4324/9781003088660