I gotta say, I’m a bit concerned how much my parents like these bots. It’s not yet that they become dependent on them, but the fact that these bots often validate your own biases isn’t helping.
My dad was surprised I didn’t embrace the new tech as much as we’re both generally tech enthusiastic. I mostly see a lot of problems with it and not the singularity he wanted to talk about.
My mom has issues with her family and the bot helps her validate her opinions in the fight… which I generally like, but I’m concerned who she lets to get to her: idiots in the family and a chatbot, rather than the rest of her caring environment.
So it’s not red alert, yet, but come on…
I mean boomers love minions, so this isn’t that surprising.
I did a lot of work in ElderTech. There were a lot of complex psychological issues around caring, connection, and fear of abandonment.
Tech can help, or at least mitigate the harm. But fooling people, or messing with their emotions really isn’t a winning recipe.
Should it be considered slop if it’s helping these people get by as they transition into their dotage?
I know not everyone has great relationships with their folks, but I wish “living with your parents” and generational compounds was the norm, not taboo, in western culture.
Think about it. It solves a whole bunch of worsening problems at once:
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Lonely seniors get attention and (when possible) stuff to do.
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It’d also keeps many out of nursing homes, which is a tremendous global expense.
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Children get a family “tribe” to live with, which is what our brains are wired for anyway.
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It takes some financial pressure off kids’ parents, which buys them some time with them.
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Saves on hired child caregivers (again, a massive cost).
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“Safer” social dynamics, IMO. It’s harder for a single messed up family member to do so much damaged, and offers a bigger support net.
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Blunts expensive housing, cost of living, generational wealth gaps, carbon footprints.
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The structure doesn’t have to be “traditional” these days, either. And it doesn’t preclude assisted living, which can be a massive burden on children.
In other words, this is a problem that shouldn’t really exist in the first place, IMO. It’s not natural.
Children don’t really want to live with their parents. I live in Thailand, many people here are poor and live with their families for a much longer time. Well, that leads to things that if you’re dating a girl, she’ll try to move in with you in like 1 month of dating to escape her family (I personally wouldn’t move in with someone until like a year at least). In these families, the kids are used as “retirement” and have to send money to their parents every month (I know a few girls that make like 15000 baht a month and give 50% of that to their parents that do nothing). The “more communal” living they have in non-wesern countries doesn’t come from a good quality of life. I’d say the fact that in the west children move out quickly is a sign of a much much better quality of life in the country on average.
That’s fair, but does it have to be like that? Kids paying parents, for example, seems more like a choice than a necessity of living together.
I’ve just seen a lot of misery from the separation, even in the west. Elderly folks in miserable, expensive retirement homes, or new parents that just can’t get by with the amount of labor between them while their folks are lonely just across town. Dysfunctional households that would’ve never deteriorated with another set of eyes there.
…Maybe family compounds are too far. But I think families have moved to the other extreme of “uncommunality,” at least in some subcultures here, where we get a little too distant from other family.
It’s ok to visit and hang out, but trust me.
Being bundled together with people, with no personal space is miserable.
Especially with people who would be tempted to make choices for you.
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Honestly I do like a lot of human directed but AI generated content, like Gossip Goblin, The Patchwork City, Pale Lodge.
I do think that AI will ultimately be an existential threat to all life though, additionally AI in Capitalist societies is a nightmare of labor displacement and wealth inequality.
That said, if we weren’t in Market Economies, with safety regulations and extreme caution, and without absolutely insane people with cults of personality at the helm, I believe humans and AI could coexist in an amazing way.
That’s just not reality though. Still doesn’t stop me from enjoying AI created content.
I can’t help but step away from unsafe human relations, where people break boundaries, misinterpret and judge your every word, and force you in a state of lawfare eventually.
I plan to create evidence folders for each person I interact regulary with.
Meanwhile, if an AI goes sideways on me, I just get a new AI model, or prompt.
I can’t make sense of your reply. I’ve never seen the word lawfare. I am unable to determine what point you were making here.
It means, you resort to lawyers, and literal interpretation of rules, it’s like warfare, but with legal means.
It is nasty.
Happy cake day!
I work with a coworker who is almost 50. She thinks AI is the bee’s knees. Believes it 100% of the time (tried arguing with me about vaccines and rabbit animals, which I would say I’m fairly educated about). The other day she told me she uploads all her medical stuff from the doctor (MRI, Xrays, ect) so AI can translate it for her.
I can’t wait for the AI boom to explode
Its taken me a long time to accept that a huge portion of the American adults simply do not want responsibility or to make decisions. They want to go through life on autopilot and if they can delegate their autonomy to children, they will. AI is pure magic through, they can delegate without judgment, instead receive affirmation. It makes them feel great and it so much easier than being an accountable adult.
Rabbit animals?
I meant rabid lol
That autocorrect drives me rabbid as well.
That makes perfect sense in retrospect but my brain just couldn’t figure out the typo/false autocorrect 😂
I don’t see why not…rabbits are animals. That’s just a fact, Jack! And fish are fish…and bee’s are knees…wait a second…
Lmao I still have a love/hate relationship with touch screen keyboards. #LifeLongComputerNerd
Technically only a HIPAA violation of the doctor uploads stuff. Uploading your is stuff is just violating your own privacy, which at this point might just be a boomer national pass time.
Ok? Wasn’t the point of the post lol
What else would the point of that be
I’m 52 and think AI is garbage.
Yeah, this “article” is age-shaming when it should be stupid-shaming. I have seen both young and old treat ChatGPT as a search- and truth-engine.
My grandparents couldn’t even tell a photoshop job from an actual photograph. And my grandpa was a software engineer for the military, so I don’t think it was even about not being tech saavy.
It’s pretty sad that some people are so lonely even AI feels like companionship. The issue isn’t that these older people are undiscerning and easily pleased, it’s that they’re desperately lonely.
I guess the oligarchs, wannabe lords, and conservatives got their wish of an uncaring and hyper-individualized social structure with little to no healthy community.
How else will you make it so that people can’t find anything better to do than work for a pittance and shop?
Not this older person.
No… older people cannot tell the difference between semi-realistic AI content and reality
Ew.
Fuuuuuck you!
-Older adult and his 80+ parents.
Boomers who happen to gave everyone else do stuff for them, does not care that the job is done poorly as long as they dont have to think too hard.
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