[ExI] AI "friends" are bad for people and society

[BillK]

Friends don’t let friends make friends with AI
Virtual girlfriends and AI friends represent a toxic trend that Elon
Musk is happy to exploit.
Mike Elgan   Jul 18, 1985

<https://machinesociety.ai/p/friends-dont-let-friends-make-friends>
Quotes:
The trouble with fake people
The problem of emotional attachments to software is most pronounced
among the young. Some teenagers prefer fake AI friends to real ones.

The social crisis
Since the Covid lockdowns and school closures, many have struggled to
maintain social lives. The rise of AI chatbots and “virtual
girlfriend” apps has replaced social interaction and real
relationships. Introverts with social anxiety are offered an addictive
“relationship” with nobody, instead of being motivated by a craving
for connection to go out, take risks, and meet people.

Young men in particular have flocked to these apps. About 28% of men
aged 18 to 34 have tried a virtual girlfriend app or chatbot at least
once, and over half of those users chat with their AI partners daily,
spending around $47 a month to unlock virtual gifts and premium
features.

You read that right. The fake girlfriend app companies’ business model
is to confuse users into thinking AI has feelings and emotions, which
they use to manipulate customers into buying non-existent gifts for
non-existent people.
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AI friends are designed to be addictive. The Adverts economy demands
more clicks and more time spent on websites.
This is the new world for the new generation that grew up with it.
BillK