Life and Love with AI

Will we live in a future where people, relationships, even the dead are replaced by AI?

‘Artificial intelligence is more empathetic than many people,’ says TJ. After several blows of fate, he found comfort in an app that offers him a virtual partner – empathetic, undemanding and always available. And J. R. Adams? He regularly exchanges text messages with the digital clone of his deceased mother to keep her in his life. Artificial intelligence is penetrating deeper and deeper into our relationships, promising closeness where real connections are fleeting – but at what price? Simone Schnall, professor of experimental social psychology, warns: ‘We know nothing about the long-term consequences. Without regulation, we risk companies putting profit before the well-being of users.’