Faced with the prevailing loneliness, Mark Zuckerberg is banking on chatbots. During a recent interview with podcaster Dwarkesh Patel, relayed by 404 Media, the Meta boss explained that Americans have on average “fewer than three friends.” Sociability is on the decline, according to the businessman, who estimates the ideal number of friends to be 15 (without specifying the sources of this figure).
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No friends? No problem
For Meta's CEO, chatbots, and particularly those developed by his group, could become a solution to this "loneliness epidemic." Faced with a lack of social connections, AI companions, although not real, could become your new best friends, Zuckerberg assures. While he acknowledges that the stakes are high, and the technology is still in its infancy, he is convinced that the current stigma surrounding chatbots will fade as their usefulness and value are better understood: "There are all these things that are better about physical connections when you can have them. But the reality is that people don't have as much contact as they would like. They often feel lonelier than they would like."
Today, Meta AI's main mission is to help Internet users in their daily lives, acting as intelligent assistants, without real emotional and social support. But things could well change. While AI is not entirely intended to replace human interactions (contrary to what one of the first advertisements for the metaverse suggested), it could soon fill a very real social gap.
Custom-made AI
Straight out of an episode of Black Mirror, Zuckerberg imagines a future where chatbots will be increasingly personalized, capable of knowing their users better and offering ever more convincing interactions. Meta also plans to integrate these companions into dedicated mobile applications, as well as connected objects, to make the presence of AI more natural in daily life.
A global strategy for the company aims to place AI at the heart of social connectivity, by facilitating the creation of connections, even for those who struggle to form them in real life.
Very real ethical challenges
While Meta's ambition is to combat loneliness (while lining its pockets), it also raises numerous ethical and social questions. The exploitation of personal data to offer personalized interactions raises concerns about the protection of privacy and transparency on the use of this data. Some experts also warn of the risk of emotional dependence on AI and the possibility that these virtual relationships will further distance individuals from authentic human interactions. Maintaining an intimate relationship with a chatbot is no small matter, and the Tamagotchi effect is never far away.
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