AI May offer companionship to people feeling lonely

As robotics expert Tony Prescott writes in his book “The Psychology of Artificial Intelligence,” which looks at how psychology and AI can work together, AI companions could help lonely people by improving their social skills and self-esteem.

 A robotics expert says that artificial intelligence (AI) technology could help fight loneliness, which is known to be very bad for people’s health.  In his new book, The Psychology of Artificial Intelligence, Tony Prescott from the University of Sheffield in the UK says that “relationships with AIs can support people” in their social lives.

When someone is lonely, they lose confidence and become more and more cut off from others. Tony, a professor of cognitive robotics, said that AI might help “break the cycle” and give them a way to practice and get better at social skills.  Tony said that a lot of people say they are lonely,  “Having an AI companion may be useful as a form of stimulating and personalized social interaction that works both ways.”

 A Path to Enhanced Self-Esteem and Social Skills

 An AI companion could help break the cycle by boosting self-esteem and maintaining or improving social skills.  If that’s the case, dating AIs could help people find companionship with both real and artificial people, he said.

The professor examines the nature of the mind and how it works, comparing and contrasting it with how AI is developing in the book. He said that when psychology and AI work together, they “can unlock further insights into both natural and artificial intelligence.”

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Ellis Stevenson

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