I get this question a lot. While I can’t predict the future, I can make some observations from where we are now, and from where we are now, my answer is “no”. Here’s why I say that.
I went to the mall today, and noticed several things. First off, I was pleased to see the amount of people in the mall shopping IRL (connection). Being with others physically, even if you aren’t interacting, is GOOD for humans. We need that-it is like sunlight to a plant. While at the mall, I also noticed people with their eyes on their phone, (while walking or not), earphones on/in, and kinda going through the world in their own bubble. While I’m not here to judge it, the reality is, those things affect connection. It’s a person you don’t meet, it’s eyes you don’t see, it’s energy that doesn’t exchange. Humans need that too. I hear a lot about how hard it is to meet people, and the many kinds of disconnected bubbles are part of why.
Let’s not forget about the experience of COVID, where connection could be deadly, so we learned how to live in a daily world with fewer connections, and our neurology tuned itself to “less”. We were hungry for it, we could feel the gap, but after awhile we stopped listening to the signs of hunger, and just existed. That was surviving (disconnection), not thriving. When we could come back together, some didn’t know how, either because they were scared, they forgot, or they never really learned beforehand, and a new habit had emerged-disconnection. While that was a few years ago, that global experience left a mark we can still feel in many ways, including how to connect, and what “connection” is even defined as.
There are apps to “connect”, chat rooms to “connect” and so many other digital ways to connect. What’s missing from these though? True, actual connection is missing. When humans find themselves in pain, it is often about a connection. A connection they want, a connection that is hard or broken, a connection they don’t want but still exists. Digital connection is a form of connection, but it is not real, and does not fully feed our humanness.
So, now back to the question of AI. While AI may be an efficient thought partner, it is NOT a feeling partner. While it can use the words of empathy, it has no capacity to truly transmit it to you. While you can ask it deep questions and it can tell you it understands you–it really can’t. It is regurgitating with some ability to infer. However, an empathetic human truly DOES get you. They listen and remember because they WANT to, not because they are programmed to, and you can FEEL the connection energetically, not just through your mind based on words. Connecting with AI for the sake of the things that truly make us human is like eating food that is made of styrofoam. It looks good, looks real, but it is missing all the essential nutrients that sustain us long term.
AI could replace us if we believe in disconnection. AI could be enough for us if we are not brave enough to sit at the bar and talk to who sits next to us. AI could tell you what you like to hear including things like “Oh good catch”, or “Great idea, let’s do that”. That is not a real compliment or acknowledgement, this feeds ego, not connection, growth and real happiness. AI has a purpose in our world, but it is NOT connection and the emotional feeding and wellness of humans. We are really good at doing that for each other, and if you have forgotten, you can always learn again. It’s worth it.
