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š The Power Up #72: Meet your new AI companions š¤
Adam Reed
May 16, 2024
Hi. It's been a while. More than two years to be precise since the last edition of The Power Up.
I certainly didnāt expect that by the next time I published we would be living in a world of science fiction becoming reality. But itās 2024, and thatās where we are.
I first started The Power Up to curate and share tools, knowledge and resources I found as I surfed the waves of change in the 21st Century. And those waves only seem to be getting larger and more daunting.
Over the past months some of you readers have been kind enough to tell me that you found The Power Up useful, enjoyable even. That you miss it. You're very kind.
Hopefully you feel the same now we're back! Returning with a slightly new look - and an increased focus on living with our rapidly evolving technology. At a time when it feels like the machines are taking over, Iāll be doing my best to provide a perspective on the human skills that we must protect, nurture and do our best to amplify in our interactions with technology.
The subject of this comeback edition is AI Companions - prompted by two pretty monumental demonstrations this week, first by OpenAI, and followed the next day by Google at their I/O developer conferenceā¦
The Rise of AI Companions
On Monday this week OpenAI revealed GPT4o (āoā for āomniā)- the fastest, smartest, and most multimodal AI yetāwatch the full demo here:
One of the most demoed features was its voice and conversation abilities. Most notably that GPT4o is capable of having realistic, real-time conversations, rich in emotion, nuance and humour.
If you're familiar with the excellent 2013 Spike Jonze movie Her, this was the week when the science of that movie became fiction no longer.
The voice of GPT4o we heard in the demo was not entirely unreminiscent of that of Samantha (The AI assistant voiced by Scarlett Johansson) in the movie. It was certainly similarly flirtatious, deferential, and programmed with a GSOH.
Social Media commentators were quick to pronounce the arrival of the age of AI girlfriends. "Men: No more need to try hard in life, youāve got an all agreeing robot girlfriend," was typical of the tone. Some went further: āThis is giving such āfemale character as written by menā vibes. Why is she so obsequious and flirty?ā
But AI Companions are nothing new. A March report by Andreas Horowitz had already identified that the AI companion niche was exhibiting remarkable growth, with 10 apps already in its top 50 consumer Gen AI products compared to just two, six months ago. One such app, Character.AI, was the third most used Gen AI app overall, behind only ChatGPT and Googleās Gemini.
As long ago as 2017 (an epoch in AI terms), companion app Replika was launched to allow users to create digital replica chatbots reminiscent of loved ones. Formed from their digital footprint of emails, social media content, voicemails etc, the app set out to help ease the pain of loss, for example in the case of death.
But in 2023 the Replika team caused distress to many of its 10 million users when a code update implemented to limit the possibility of erotic dialogue created the sensation of a kind of ādigital lobotomyā. Users had become so deeply attached to these digital replicas that a small change to their coding felt like they were losing them all over again.
So all of this begs the questions: What's happening with human connection and relationships that is leading us to rely on artificial alternatives? What is humanity letting itself in for by allowing human relationships to be replaced by AI? And is society ready for the consequences?
Poll: Whatās your opinion on AI companions?Select from the three options below - and leave your thoughts when prompted to be featured in the next edition... |
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NY Times columnist Nick Roose spent a month hanging out with 18 A.I. companions. They critiqued his clothes, chatted among themselves and hinted at a very different future.
āWhat if the tech companies are all wrong, and the way artificial intelligence is poised to transform society is not by curing cancer, solving climate change or taking over boring office work, but just by being nice to us, listening to our problems and occasionally sending us racy photos?ā Nick ponders.
Swipe right on AI? The world of dating is changing, and this article from Time explores the rise of AI-powered matchmaking and its impact on modern romance.
AI companions are becoming a reality, but where do we draw the line? This piece explores the potential of AI to enhance our lives while emphasizing the importance of real human connection.
With one in four people around the world reporting being lonely, it is no wonder so many are drawn to the promise of a friend programmed to be āalways here to listen and talk, always on your sideā.
But warnings about the perils to individual users and society at large are also growing.
This article lays out four red flags to be on the lookout for.
Eager but dumb AI assistants will soon be a thing of the past. Computers are about to become smarter, friendlier, and infinitely more useful to your everyday life.
Could AI play matchmaker for real world partners? The founder of Bumble believes AI dating apps have the potential to spark more connections and even lead to marriage. āThere is a world where your dating concierge could go and date for you, with another dating concierge,ā says Wolfe Herd.
If this edition didnāt already sound like an episode of Black Mirror, it surely does now.
AI companions offer a solution to loneliness, but are they healthy? This article delves into the potential risks of one-sided relationships with AI, drawing from historical examples.
As we navigate the uncharted waters of AI and its role in our lives, itās important not to forget the poetry, philosophy and storytelling that remind us that human connection is supposed to require something of us, and that it is worth the effort.
Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, by Ethan MollickCutting through the noise of AI evangelists and AI doom-mongers, Wharton professor Ethan Mollick urges us to engage with AI as co-worker, co-teacher and coach. Wide ranging, hugely thought-provoking and optimistic, Co-Intelligence reveals the promise and power of this new era. |  |
The Coming Wave, by Mustafa SuleymanAI. Synthetic Biology. Quantum Computing. Everything is about to change. This is the only book you need to understand this new world. From the ultimate AI insider, Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of DeepMind, part of Google. |  |
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 | Podcast: 'Repocalypse now' by The GuardianWhen Eugenia Kuyda created Replika, the AI companion app, she had no idea it would be downloaded millions of times all around the world. The results were more powerful than she could ever have predicted. But so was the backlashā¦ |
 | When will our tech overlords watch the whole movie before taking inspiration?OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has seemingly cited Her as an inspiration for ChatGPTās conversational voice assistant update. Maybe don'tā¦ |
 | āBetter than a real manā: Young Chinese women turn to AI boyfriends25-year-old Tufei says her boyfriend has everything she could ask for in a romantic partner: He is kind and empathetic, and sometimes they talk for hours. Except he is not real. |
 | Why we will love AI more than our petsForget dogs and cats ā are we falling more in love with AI? This thought-provoking piece examines the growing emotional attachment humans have to their AI companions. |
 | AI romantic partners will harm society if they go unregulatedCould AI be the key to finding your soulmate? This article explores the growing role of AI in the world of romance and how it could help you find love. |
AI might make the most convincing romantic partner yet. After all, what is a romantic relationship if not a complex exchange of signals and responses?
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