Are the intelligent and learning humanoid robot "Artificial Friends" , AFs, envisaged by Kazuo Ishiguro in his recent novel "Klara and the Sun" feasible and likely to be mass produced in reality?
If so, wnat are the implications for human society?
IMPORTANT: the entife novel is the life story of KLARA, an artificial friend ie an AF, as told FROM HER INNER PERSPECTIVE, that is it tells her inner thoughts whether outwardly expressed or not.
"Klara and the Sun", Published Faber and Faber 2021
Yes. Creating AI-based "Artificial friends" poses technical challenges in replicating human emotions and social dynamics authentically. While AI can simulate conversation and empathy, true friendship involves deeper emotional bonds and shared experiences, aspects that current AI technology struggles to replicate convincingly. Additionally, e carefully addressed. While the concept is intriguing, achieving genuine friendship
AI-based "Artificial Friends" are feasible in theory, and in some forms, they already exist as chatbots and virtual assistants. They can engage in conversation, provide companionship, and even offer emotional support to some degree. However, the idea of an "Artificial Friend" could go beyond basic chatbots and that raises several ethical, psychological, and technical challenges.
Although AI-based "Artificial Friends" are achievable from a technological standpoint, it opens us up to several ethical, psychological, and technical challenges that need to be addressed before they can become an ubiquitous reality. As AI technology continues to progress, these challenges will need to be systematically considered and addressed to ensure that AI companionship is developed in a responsible and ethical manner.
They will be produced and can be beneficial for some people who feel insecure in communicating with others. They can work as training toys I guess. However, I think such toys can have negative effects as well. For example, it can remove the need for social interactions with real people, which can make people even less sociable over time. So everything should be weighted when using those. Yet, it is just personal opinion.
Three points :
AFs could well be mass produced as a private commercial venture making it difficult to impose effective legal constraints,
Ishiguro's AFs start their lives with only minimal knowledge of the world in all its aspects and hence are very much LEARNING systems. In particular his AFs must STRUGGLE to learn the intricacies and perversities of human relationships.
Ishiguro's AFs have relatively short lifespans of a few years.
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