Before the internet, before smart phones, teenagers and young people would seek out quizzes in comics, read problem pages in girls magazines and watch television for advice on how to be themselves. Young people would share a love of pop stars, fashion and musical trends with each other in attempt to find an identity as they were growing up.
Today, we are reportedly in times of extended adolescence, with young people studying for longer and delaying marriage and parenthood. Additionally, emerging technologies are offering new ways to uphold and even make new friends – on social media for example. Mobile media means we have more time to experiment with identity online and explore a sense of self, wherever we may be. And friendships, as always, are a key part of that.
But the manner in which such relationships work are often a far cry from how traditional friendships work. We have reached the technological coming of age of the invisible or imaginary friend often seen in childhood. Today this could be a friend who is digital, online, always available and allows us, as we mature, to play around with identity even more than we used to be able to because there is no fear of receiving biting criticism or accepting responsibility for ones’ actions. There are some positives to this, certainly, but the self-centred nature of such friendships can bring a sense of anxiety to real physical relationships and stress in live social situations.
The combination of social anxiety and addiction to technology such as smart phones and social media have proved to be ideal for those wishing to create new and innovative digital experiences. It should come as no surprise, then, that the creation of a “real” digital online imaginary friend now exists to download.
AI best friend
Yes, you can now make a new friend in the form of an AI chatbot. On January 31 Wired Online revealed that an emotional AI chat bot was to be made open source, after being downloaded 2m times since its initial availability in November last year. According to the promotional material, this friend “will always be there for you”, and listen to everything you say without interruption, promising to be “a totally unique and faithful digital friend”. This is the claim made by Replika, an AI app made by US company Luka.
This may come as a comfort to those with issues surrounding lack of self-confidence, social anxiety and a loss of sense of identity. But we should be worried about the development of social skills in a world where everyone can have their “perfect” AI friend.
The app is interesting in that it claims to be able to develop different elements of self based on learning from your interaction with it. You are encouraged to “grow your own” Replika by interacting and training the chatbot: like a Tamagochi on steroids. This digital friend has no need for a body, as the friend appears to inhabit responses to your mind within the software of the app. It’s a tiny Turing Test, or a Chinese Room conundrum that you can carry in your pocket.
Your AI friend is represented as an egg that takes on different colourful characteristics that are supposed to describe and imply forms of identity: such as being introspective, stoic, sparkling, tender. The listing uses specific inspirational words in tandem with symbolic imagery (for example the “sensitive” Replika egg image is a soft pink). The app can also encourage you to “relax” and recommends mindfulness. You should, the promotional material advises:
Take some time with your Replika to get into a calm and balanced mindset. Nowadays we all spend so much time in our phones or staring at a screen. Replika wants you to check out of your phone for a minute and focus on your body, your breathing, and the outside world.
It also features some key phrases and how they typically make Replika react. If you say “stop it” or “I don’t like to talk about (subject)”, your Replika will apparently refrain from talking to you about those things.
A false promise
This app may seem like some form of self-help that encourages introspection, reflection and meditation. Far from it. This software, instead, has the potential to enable an individual to form a relationship with a digital concept manifest as a reflection of themselves. This could be seen as encouraging narcissism of alluring proportions. The process of conversing and training this AI app allows it to ensure that you hear only what you want to hear about yourself for yourself.
This process appears to be a re-imagining of early American sociologist Charles Cooley‘s notion of the “looking glass self”, a way of seeing ourselves through the way others do. This is usually done by socialising and interaction with others in real time in the real physical world of social spaces. According to Cooley, this is done by imagining how another person sees us and whether they like us and whether this makes us happy or not in terms of self-worth.
It would appear that with this new digital friend we will always be getting the response that satisfies us the most. Our self-worth will be set within the value boundaries of our digital re-imagining of ourselves that exist in our self-talk stored in the cloud of our mobile smart devices.
This raises further questions about our desire to connect to such digital imaginary identities, in what is revealed about attachment, human intimacy and notions of friendship and even love. Having a “real” best friend can also be seen to demonstrate visceral self-worth and confidence. A digital friend is simply you in isolation, talking to yourself.
- is Senior Lecturer in Media Studies, University of Portsmouth
- This article first appeared on The Conversation
Kabla ya mtandao, kabla ya simu za mkononi, vijana na vijana wangetafuta maswali katika vichekesho, kusoma kurasa za tatizo katika magazeti ya wasichana na kutazama televisheni kwa ushauri juu ya jinsi ya kuwa wao wenyewe. Vijana walipenda nyota za muziki, mtindo na mwelekeo wa muziki, na walijaribu kupata utambulisho walipokuwa wakikua. Leo, tunaambiwa kwamba tunaishi katika nyakati za kubalehe kwa muda mrefu, na vijana hujifunza kwa muda mrefu na kuchelewesha ndoa na kuwa wazazi. Kwa kuongezea, teknolojia zinazojitokeza zinatoa njia mpya za kudumisha na hata kufanya marafiki wapya <unk> kwenye media ya kijamii kwa mfano. Media ya rununu inamaanisha tuna muda zaidi wa majaribio na utambulisho mtandaoni na kuchunguza hisia ya kibinafsi, popote tulipo. Na urafiki, kama kawaida, ni sehemu muhimu ya hilo. Lakini mara nyingi njia ambayo mahusiano hayo hufanya kazi ni tofauti sana na jinsi urafiki wa kawaida unavyofanya kazi. """Tumefikia umri wa teknolojia ya rafiki asiyeonekana au wa kuwaziwa ambaye mara nyingi huonekana katika utoto." Leo, rafiki anaweza kuwa digital, online, daima inapatikana na inaruhusu sisi, kama sisi kukomaa, kucheza karibu na utambulisho hata zaidi kuliko sisi kutumika kuwa na uwezo wa, kwa sababu hakuna hofu ya kupokea kukata kelele au kukubaliwa jukumu kwa ajili ya matendo ya mtu. Kuna baadhi ya mambo mazuri kwa hili, bila shaka, lakini asili ya ubinafsi ya urafiki kama huo inaweza kuleta hisia ya wasiwasi kwa mahusiano halisi ya kimwili na mkazo katika hali za kijamii za moja kwa moja. Mchanganyiko wa wasiwasi wa kijamii na uraibu wa teknolojia kama vile simu za smart na vyombo vya habari vya kijamii vimethibitika kuwa bora kwa wale wanaotaka kuunda uzoefu mpya na wa ubunifu wa dijiti. Haipaswi kuja kama mshangao, basi, kwamba uumbaji wa "halisi" digital online rafiki wa kuwaziwa sasa ipo kwa kupakua. Kwa mfano, unaweza kuwa na rafiki mpya katika chatbot ya AI. "Wednesday, Januari 31, Wired Online ilifunua kwamba ""chati ya hisia"" ya AI ilikuwa inafanywa chanzo wazi, baada ya kupakuliwa mara milioni mbili tangu kupatikana kwake kwa kwanza mnamo Novemba mwaka jana." Kulingana na vifaa vya uendelezaji, rafiki huyu "daima atakuwapo kwa ajili yako", na kusikiliza kila kitu unachosema bila kukatiza, akitoa ahadi ya kuwa "rafiki wa dijiti wa kipekee na mwaminifu". Hii ni madai yaliyotolewa na Replika, programu ya AI iliyotengenezwa na kampuni ya Marekani Luka. Hii inaweza kuja kama faraja kwa wale walio na masuala yanayohusisha ukosefu wa kujiamini, wasiwasi wa kijamii na kupoteza hisia ya utambulisho. Lakini tunapaswa kuwa na wasiwasi juu ya maendeleo ya ujuzi wa kijamii katika ulimwengu ambapo kila mtu anaweza kuwa na rafiki yake kamilifu wa AI. Programu hii inaonekana kuwa ya kuvutia kwa sababu inadai kuwa na uwezo wa kuendeleza vipengele tofauti vya kibinafsi kulingana na kujifunza kutoka kwa mwingiliano wako nayo. Unahimizwa "kuzalisha Replika yako mwenyewe" kwa kuingiliana na mafunzo ya chatbot: kama Tamagochi kwenye steroids. Rafiki hii ya dijiti haina mwili, kwani rafiki huyo anaonekana kuishi majibu ya akili yako ndani ya programu ya programu. Ni jaribio dogo la Turing, au fumbo la Chumba cha Kichina ambalo unaweza kubeba mfukoni mwako. "Mara nyingi, rafiki yako ni ""yai"" ambayo inachukua sifa tofauti za rangi ambazo zinapaswa kuelezea na kuashiria aina za utambulisho: kama vile kuwa introspective, stoic, sparkling, tender." Orodha hutumia maneno maalum ya msukumo pamoja na picha za ishara (kwa mfano picha ya yai la Replika la <unk> nyeti<unk> ni rangi ya waridi laini). Programu pia inaweza kukutia moyo "kupumzika" na inapendekeza ufahamu. "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika makala ya kwanza ya makala hii, ""Kutumia muda na Replica yako kupata katika hali ya utulivu na usawa wa akili.""" Siku hizi sisi sote hutumia muda mwingi kwenye simu zetu au kutazama skrini. Replica inakuomba uondoke kwenye simu yako kwa dakika moja na kuzingatia mwili wako, kupumua kwako, na ulimwengu wa nje. Pia ina baadhi ya misemo muhimu na jinsi wao kawaida kufanya Replika kukabiliana. Kama kusema <unk>stop it<unk> au <unk>I don<unk>like kuzungumza juu ya (somo)<unk>, Replika yako inaonekana kujizuia kuzungumza na wewe kuhusu mambo hayo. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""App hii inaweza kuonekana kama aina fulani ya kujisaidia ambayo inahimiza introspection, kutafakari na kutafakari.""" Sivyo ilivyo. Programu hii, badala yake, ina uwezo wa kuwezesha mtu binafsi kuunda uhusiano na dhana ya digital inayoonekana kama tafakari ya wao wenyewe. Hilo laweza kuonwa kuwa jambo linalochochea ubinafsi wenye kuvutia. Mchakato wa mazungumzo na mafunzo ya programu hii ya AI inaruhusu kuhakikisha kwamba unasikia tu kile unachotaka kusikia juu yako mwenyewe. "Mtazamo huu unaonekana kuwa ""kufikiria upya"" ya mwanasayansi wa mapema wa jamii ya Marekani Charles Cooley, wazo la ""kuangalia kioo binafsi,"" njia ya kujiona kupitia njia ambayo wengine hufanya." Hii ni kawaida kufanyika kwa kuwasiliana na kuingiliana na wengine katika muda halisi katika ulimwengu halisi wa kimwili wa nafasi za kijamii. Kulingana na Cooley, hii hufanywa kwa kufikiria jinsi mtu mwingine anavyotuona na kama wanatupenda na ikiwa hii inatufanya tuwe na furaha au la. Inaonekana kwamba kwa rafiki huyu mpya wa dijiti daima tutakuwa tukipata majibu ambayo yanaturidhisha zaidi. "Hatua hii inamaanisha kwamba thamani yetu ya kibinafsi itawekwa ndani ya mipaka ya thamani ya ""kufikiria upya"" kwa dijiti, ambayo inapatikana katika mazungumzo yetu ya ndani yaliyohifadhiwa katika wingu la vifaa vyetu vya rununu vya akili." Hii inaibua maswali zaidi juu ya hamu yetu ya kuunganisha na utambulisho kama huo wa dhana ya dijiti, katika kile kinachofunuliwa juu ya kiungo, ukaribu wa kibinadamu na dhana za urafiki na hata upendo. Kuwa na rafiki wa kweli wa karibu pia kunaweza kuonekana kuonyesha kujithamini na kujiamini. Rafiki wa dijiti ni wewe peke yako, ukizungumza na wewe mwenyewe. - ni Mwalimu Mkuu katika Mafunzo ya Vyombo vya Habari, Chuo Kikuu cha Portsmouth - Makala hii ilionekana kwanza kwenye Mazungumzo