Sherry Turkle's New Book Warns of AI Intimacy Crisis
Sherry Turkle, a professor at MIT, has released *Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines*, in which she contends that the growing dependence on AI chatbots for roles like tutoring, mentorship, companionship, and romance poses a societal crisis. She likens its potential effects to those seen in *Silent Spring*, *The Jungle*, and *Unsafe at Any Speed*. In a discussion with Wired, Turkle expressed her concern after noticing individuals favoring chatbot interactions over time spent with family. She calls for a prohibition on chatbots using first-person pronouns, cautions against the risks in psychotherapy, and critiques the phrase 'human in the loop.' Turkle asserts that AI cannot substitute for genuine human dialogue and links the loneliness epidemic to societal neglect, advocating for resource allocation to support the elderly.
Key facts
- Sherry Turkle is a professor at MIT and a social scientist studying computer interaction for four decades.
- Her new book is titled Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines.
- The book is a polemic warning of an emergency where humanity is at risk from overreliance on AI chatbots.
- Turkle conducted about ten interviews during the pandemic that shifted her from neutral-curious to alarmed.
- She advocates banning chatbots from using first-person pronouns like 'I' and 'me'.
- Turkle criticizes the term 'human in the loop' as misleading and ineffective.
- She argues AI cannot replace human conversation due to its lack of fear, love, and concern.
- The interview was published in Steven Levy's and Lauren Goode's Backchannel newsletter on Wired.
Entities
Artists
- Sherry Turkle
- Steven Levy
- Lauren Goode
Institutions
- MIT
- Wired
- Backchannel
Locations
- Australia