In a world where technology is evolving at an increasingly rapid rate, the conversation of the effect of AI on our lives is more relevant than ever. In less than a few decades, factories once operated by workers are now run completely by machines. In many supermarkets, you can checkout your groceries at a machine instead of waiting in line for a cashier. Amazon drones will drop your packages right at your doorsteps. Self-driving cars are already on the market. It makes sense for machines to become such a crucial part of many firms. After all, they are highly efficient, effective and make our lives easier. The implementation of machines in the place of human workers removes inevitable human errors and results in production unaffected by human moods and emotions.
Technology is also beginning to play an integral role in fulfilling our emotional and social needs. People are substituting interactions with other humans with time spent on their phones, laptops and in digital spaces. The IT industry seems set on producing inventions such as robot doctors, personal assistants and even companions next. This will unsurprisingly affect the wiring of our brains. Several studies have already shown that the technology we use is reducing our level of empathy.
Empathy is what allows us to emotionally connect with each other and what drives us to socialise and build communities. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick is a dystopian, sci-fi novel published in the late sixties, but it shares many similarities with Louisa Hall’s Speak. In the novel, the main character Rick Deckard falls in love with a robot girl and he does not care that she feels no empathy for him because their connection feels real enough. Similarly, many of the characters in Speak replace human relationships with the babybots. Karl does not even speak to his wife anymore because she would rather spend her time with her computer, MARY.
For them, it was the greatest thing to be part of a community. That’s why they were willing to relocate to developments. That’s why they sold their transport rights. But my generation is different. At least the girls with babybots are. We’ve been parents for as long as we can remember. We never felt lonely. We didn’t need communities.
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Why are humans inclined to leave human relationships behind in favour of unfeeling technological advancements? Are we replacing human relationships with robots for the same reason we are replacing human workers in factories with machines – because human relationships are too unpredictable, flawed and uncontrollable? Are we all deep down just like Stephan R. Chinn who strives for an AI companion because human relationships can be too difficult?
Besides, even if robots don’t feel empathy for us, several studies have shown that we feel empathy for them. Humans react negatively to seeing robots in what they perceive as harsh or negative situations. So, does it really matter if robots can’t empathise with us if our connection to them feels real enough?
