Maybe Chatbots Shouldn’t Get to Say ‘I’ or ‘Me’
wired ·
In her new book, MIT professor Sherry Turkle warns that society is in a state of emergency due to dangerous overreliance on chatbots. She argues that these machines pose as intimate companions while lacking genuine human emotions or stakes in life. Turkle specifically advocates for banning the use of first-person pronouns like 'I' and 'me' by AI to prevent deceptive intimacy. She contends that relying on chatbots for therapy or social practice creates a false sense of security and isolates users from reality. The article highlights her criticism of the 'human in the loop' concept, which she views as a superficial fix for corporate AI delegation. Despite widespread skepticism about AI, hundreds of millions continue to use chatbots, often abandoning real-world connections. Turkle believes this trend exacerbates loneliness and risks losing essential human contact. Ultimately, she aims to expand public pushback against AI to include these more personal and psychological costs.
wired