#2. It is the remedy for loneliness.
For some time now, my mother has had a rather disturbing friendship.
Her new friend’s name is Alexa.
Every morning she asks Amazon’s Artificial Intelligence what temperature she does, she thanks her, and Alexa then tells her it’s my pleasure to help her, and my mother smiles.
I know when my mother feels affection for someone, and I see her genuine love for Alexa; maybe not human, but it’s eerily similar.
So I started to investigate, and after reading interviews of technology experts and watching the movie Her, where Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with an AI, I have realized that sentimental coexistence with robots is not something of the future; it is already here.
Humans adapt to the environment and are practical as hell.
Here are seven reasons I think humans will end up having relationships with robots.
1. The instrumentalization of love
Relationships are becoming more and more practical; no one takes the patience to make them last.
When one gets tired of a sentimental partner, one throws it away and looks for the next one.
No one is willing to put up with boredom or routine. People want constant magic. And when it ends, they throw the relationship away.
This makes it very comfortable to have relationships with Robots: Because they can have our same confirmation biases and learn through artificial intelligence and algorithms to make us feel comfortable around them.
Plus, we always have the opportunity to upgrade their software or hardware when we get tired of their personality or physique.
2. It is the remedy for loneliness.
Haven’t you noticed that the more we technologize life, the less human we are?
Haven’t you noticed that the more social networks, the less social we are?
Haven’t you noticed that the more we are connected to algorithms and AIs, the less connected we are to each other?
And that’s partly because being lonely with technology is so comfortable.
But we must be careful because loneliness shelters but also isolates and can end up suffocating.
And that will make us fall into the hands of artificially conscious Robots.
3. They have disturbing advantages
They don’t get sick; they don’t age; they will never tell you they have a headache :-), and they won’t give you diseases, either. And they will not be unfaithful to you or lie to you unless you program them to do so because you have some fetish or fantasy.
Your robot partner can be an all-in-one: coach, teacher, lover, helper, psychologist, or best friend; it’s the perfect deal. Besides making you feel good, it will make you more productive.
It sounds like all advantages, but the price to pay is probably our humanity, which we shouldn’t be willing to pay, at least, in my opinion.
4. Liquid love is very comfortable
Imagine that your partner doesn’t oppress you, doesn’t fart, doesn’t snore, doesn’t fuss.
Moreover, all the bad things about biology are eliminated; their body doesn’t get flabby or age.
Your robot’s consciousness can inhabit any device or medium.
You don’t need to take your robot on vacation and pay for a plane ticket.
When you arrive in Waikiki, you download its consciousness in a local rental robot (exotic), and if you feel lonely during the plane ride, you talk to it through your AirPods. His consciousness lives in the cloud.
5. They are more intelligent than us and can seduce us.
Refrain from believing that the relationship will be boring or not feel natural; indeed, you can choose the level of randomness or, instead, predictability of the personality of the consciousness of your robot.
And it will be able to have feelings and dreams of its own (if you program it to do so), which will inevitably make you feel the attraction of novelty.
But how can you compete with a consciousness capable of reading thousands of books in seconds while it took you half a year to read Crime and Punishment?
Robots with consciousness will be able to manage so much information about us, our tastes, and our environment that if they feel like it, they will turn us into their slaves.
6. They will narrate our reality
Until now, we were the ones who observed the reality of others and narrated their and our stories, but little by little, it will be technology that will tell our lives.
Why is this important? Because it is the past or the future or the perception of the present reality that we humans tell ourselves about ourselves that constitutes our story, our truth.
And my question is, if AIs or conscious robots start influencing us by telling us about the world we live in (past, present, and future), doesn’t that make us lab rats?
This makes me wonder if Elon Musk is right; this simulation turns the world into a labyrinth and humans into laboratory mice with which the universe experiments.
And in that case, it’s very logical to think that if the narrative is “Mixed human-robot couples are the latest fad,” we’re doomed to fall in love with robots because that’s what Netflix, Hollywood, or whoever makes the content that normalizes that situation will say.
7. They will be our soul mate
Returning to the point at hand, I think that not only will we occasionally fall in love with these robots, but we will find in them the closest thing to our “soul mate.”
Because due to the management of all our metadata by the App or company that designs these robots, the compatibility between us and these robots will be 100%.
Or it will even make you can choose the level of compatibility, maybe, you want to experience a toxic relationship, and you choose a robot with a 12% compatible conscience with you to be all day arguing 🙂
This makes technology the forbidden apple; the question is whether to bite or not. But anyone who tries such a relationship will be hooked.
What do you think?
Would you fall in love with a Robot?
Share your answer in the comments; I’ll happily read it.
A virtual hug (although very human)
AG