Health expert warns of leaning too heavily on AI for social connections

AI serves with the rise of AI companions Online friends Or Romantic interestExperts are asking how technology affects our real-world social connections and relationships.

According to Castle Kilm, the author Social Health “Connection Art and Science: Why Social Health is long, healthy and happy living key key,” AI can have some benefits to use as a social interaction practice tool, but the technology should only be used to replace our personal relationships and real-world connections.

On Friday, social health expert and Harvard School of Public Health graduated during a panel at the SXSW Conference of Austin Austin that he suspected that AI could improve the social skills of people.

He mentions that AI companies will often use the advantage of using their AI companions as a way to practice conversation and other social skills for practicing world use.

“This might be true,” he said, but he warned that this kind of practice should not be replaced in real-world connections.

“I want to get a society that people feel comfortable and have the opportunity to practice this personally – as if we are teaching it in schools and practicing it in real time, it becomes part of our equipment for how to go about life,” Kilam said.

The author also mentions that when he researched his book, he could see that “several million” users are already using AI as “as a friend, wife, as a boyfriend, as boyfriend, as boyfriend,” [or] As a girlfriend. “

Recent research Appfigers that appligers applications of applications have shown that AI companion mobile applications are watching more than a year over the year in 2024, for example, consumers over the year, attracting $ 55 million. The United States was the top market for these applications last year, accounting as 30.5% of the total customer expenditure.

“I have a lot of feelings about it,” Kilm said. “On the one hand, I’m anxious. I am concerned that we have created a culture where people think that they have to go to AI for their companionship. About it On the other hand, I think if it is as well as our personal relationships … maybe it might be great “”

Kilam agreed that AI chatbats like ChatzPT could be effective from time to time, but he suggested that these types of equipment were best used as “part of our portfolio” of social health, not as a replacement of actual relationships.

“One of the main principles of social health is to have different sources, which means not just one. You simply do not socialize with your romantic partner and someone else. If you have friends, you talk to colleagues, you chat with Barista and other people. And so if AI is one of these sources I am exposed to it “”

“Where it becomes a problem when it becomes only or one of the main sources” ”

He also touched other fields where technology intersects with social health, its impact on loneliness, our “busyness” culture and how people now spent time listening to the media to kill or watch social media or kill other people.

He suggested to call or send a friend to your downtime instead of returning to the technology immediately to entertain you.