By David Stephen who looks at AI companions in this article.
There is a new guest essay in The New York Times, The Sad and Dangerous Reality Behind 'Her', stating that, "We received letters from users who told us that Kuki had quelled suicidal thoughts, helped them through addiction, advised them on how to confront bullies and acted as a sympathetic ear when their friends failed them. We wanted to believe that A.I. could be a solution to loneliness."
"Regulation would start with universal laws for A.I. companions, including clear warning labels, time limits, 18-plus age verification and, most important, a new framework for liability that places the burden on companies to prove their products are safe, not on users to show harm. Absent swift legislation, some of the largest A.I. companies are poised to repeat the sins of social media on a more devastating scale."
AI companions what could possibly go wrong?
"Emotional attachment maximizes engagement. But there's a dark side to A.I. companions, whose users are not just the lonely males of internet lore, but women who find them more emotionally satisfying than men."
Mind
Assuming the map of the United States is the human mind. There are [stations in] states and there are means [or transportation to get across].
Some transportation can get from one state to the other, say a boat through some states bordering Lake Michigan or a boat to some neighboring costal states. However, in general, a boat may not get to several places within continental U.S. at least directly or easily.
Meanwhile, trains would, vehicles would, jetliners would, even motorbikes and bicycles would. Now, if there is a conference in a state, attendees may arrive by different transport modes. As long as they are on time and arrived safely, it may not matter what mode was used.
Once you're there, you are there. It may be possible that timing, cost, distance, channel [air, land, water], may decide factors but the objective is to get there.
This is a simple and direct way to explain the human mind. Conceptually, all functions are destinations, obtained by the interactions of the components of mind. However, attributes determine the extents to which they interact.
Simply, in the mind, there are stations and there are relays. Interaction of components occur at the stations, while transport take summaries of the last interaction to the next. Attributes are sometimes a result of the share of that set or station among the whole. So, stations and relays.
In the human mind, whatever gets to a station is experienced. It may not matter the relay that brought it. A relay type could be reality of the external world. It could also be reality, from the virtual or digital sphere. It could also be internally driven, say by thoughts or memories.
But if it gets there, then the experience is probable [given the attributes]. There are somethings that do not necessarily matter, at stations [or destinations]. Text on a screen, text on paper or text imagined. Image and sound too sometimes. However, for motion or video, it is different, for what is in reality and then what is viewed on a device.
There are several feelings and emotional destinations that are possible by direct reality relays. For example, craving when food is seen or when the aroma comes across. There could also be craving when the food is seen on a screen. There could be craving too by imagination. These are all destinations and it is what gets there that decides.
AI Companions
AI companions delivering texts, images, audios and videos to several consumers are going directly to [destinations or] stations in the mind, for emotions and feelings. They are using different relays, but getting there however.
They are also using attributes that grade those stations or destinations higher. Simply, they are going to destinations in the mind for affection, love, longing, support, togetherness, importance and so forth. While it is clear that the relays are not using the same paths as...
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