Em 1d ago

"Texting a stranger is better for reducing loneliness than an AI chatbot, study finds"

From CTV News: https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/texting-a-stranger-is-better-for-reducing-loneliness-than-an-ai-chatbot-study-finds/

"The study found that only those who texted with a fellow human reported feeling less lonely at the end of the experiment.

'We thought that interacting with AI might be as helpful as texting with a random fellow first-year student,' said the study’s author, psychology PhD candidate Ruo-Ning Li, in a media release.

'But to our surprise, only the human-to-human texting reduced loneliness over time. The chatbot, even though we designed it to be the ideal supportive friend, didn’t shift loneliness.'"

#NoAI #Loneliness

Texting a stranger is better for reducing loneliness than an AI chatbot, study finds

In a time where more people are reporting feeling lonely and some are turning to AI chatbots for companionship, a new study suggests that texting a real person, even a stranger, leads to better results.

CTVNews
Show threadJaeder1d ago
@Em0nM4stodon "Who knew that loneliness stemmed from a lack of human connection?" That's the thought I imagine appearing when I read this. What kind of idiotic hypothesis is "But to our surprise, only the human-to-human texting reduced loneliness over time."
Show threadJoe W

@jaeder @Em0nM4stodon Well... yeah, so far, so good, so obvious. In hindsight, and it's a good counterpoint to have when AI pushers talk BS about how good the AI "friend" is in reducing loneliness.
Breaking news: it ain't, and there's a scientific study that shows it. Always good to have that.

On the other hand: climate change, vaccinations, all sorts of things have scientific proof. Those who want AI for everything also deny the efficiency of vaccines and the existence of climate change

Apr 6 at 5:35pmWeb
Show threadJaeder1d ago

@drchaos @Em0nM4stodon I mean. It's tricky. I don't think it solves loneliness. But I have seen plenty of testimonies of people on forums talking about feeling seen for the first time, usually by using the AI for learning how to play without judgment, especially autistic folks who haven't been met with people willing to engage with them at their level but instead throwing judgment and critique. It's hard to know if that classifies as a solution for loneliness, but it's also not something I want to dismiss.

I am personally using a set of LLM projects to help navigate recovery work (incl.12-step program) myself but do so alongside online meetings with real people etc. I feel "seen" in genuine shares and conversations with real people where I share real shit about myself. I don't feel "seen" by those chats but I feel that I can immerse myself in imaginative scenarios that lessen the burden I put on myself for A, B and C. Moving away from shame and start inquiring to my own beliefs about things, I usually hand a project a few professionamyselks and update the custom instructions as we move along.

So I guess my point is. I don't think it can "solve loneliness" but I do think it can be used for genuine personal growth and introspection. I just wanted to clarify my position and not misrepresent myself.