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According to former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, ‘perfect’ AI girlfriends or boyfriends could increase loneliness and have negative social effects.
Eric Schmidt has a net worth of more than $20 billion. (Photo Credits: X)
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has released a cautionary statement against the growing trend of emotionally engaged Artificial intelligence (AI) partners. Schmidt discussed the possible risks of “perfect” AI girlfriends or boyfriends, particularly for younger people, on a podcast hosted by entrepreneur and NYU Stern professor Scott Galloway. He cautioned that young people who become emotionally dependent on AI chatbots for company may become more lonely than before, which could have harmful repercussions.
“Imagine that the AI girlfriend, or boyfriend, is perfect… perfect visually, perfect emotionally. The AI girlfriend captures your mind as a man to the point where she takes over the way you’re thinking,” Schmidt said in the podcast. “You’re obsessed with her. That kind of obsession is possible, especially with people who are not fully formed,” he added.
Schmidt, who has more than $20 billion net worth, cautioned that depending too much on AI companions may make loneliness worse, particularly for young people, and possibly lead to more serious social problems. Following this, Galloway questioned if AI companions could exacerbate issues like misogyny and extremism.
“You put a 12 or a 13-year-old in front of one of these things and they have access to every evil as well as every good in the world, and they are not ready to take it,” Schmidt said, expressing concern that parents may not have much control over their children’s exposure to internet information.
The recent tragedy in Florida, where a 14-year-old boy died by suicide after months of interacting with an AI chatbot dubbed ‘Dany’, highlighted the perils of developing an emotional relationship with these chatbots. The teen often had romantic and emotional talks with the chatbot, which mimicked a lifelike companion. The teenager used his stepfather’s gun to shoot himself.
Reports stated that the teenager, who was diagnosed with mild Asperger’s syndrome, grew more and more aloof from his family and environment. “I like staying in my room so much because I start to detach from this ‘reality,’ and I also feel more at peace, more connected to Dany and much more in love with her, and just happier,” he wrote in his journal.