Would you like to use AI to "resurrect" your departed loved ones?
If artificial intelligence technology can "resurrect" dead relatives and interact with you, are you willing?
Once, such a scene appeared in the British TV series "Black Mirror", but now, it may soon become a reality.
According to a report by CNET on the 22nd, Microsoft has obtained a patent approval that allows the company to use the personal information of the deceased to create an AI chatbot.
The news immediately caused heated discussions on the Internet.
The patent titled "Create a specific chatbot for a specific person" details the creation of a system based on "images, voice data, social media posts, electronic information" and other personal information to "create or modify information about a specific person Personality theme".
It is reported that this AI chat robot can simulate human conversations and make voice or text responses to other people's words.
In some cases, it is even possible to create a 3D model of a person through image and depth information or video data to gain additional realism.
It can be set to anyone, friends, family, celebrities, virtual characters, historical figures, etc.
People can even use this technology to create a robot that can replace themselves after they die before they die.
It is reported that Microsoft applied for this patent in 2017, was approved just this month, and has become a hot topic on the Internet in the past few days.
The US Science and Technology Information Network pointed out in the report that well-known companies such as Microsoft are beginning to describe a system that allows the dead to live forever through AI chatbots, which indicates that this technology may be widely accepted and used one day in the future.
A sense of loneliness bursts, giving birth to AI "lovers"
On November 28, 2015, the Belarusian man Roman Mazurenko was killed in a car accident in Moscow.
In the days after his death, his friend Eugenia Kuida reread thousands of text messages that they had exchanged with Roman since they met in 2008.
In grief, inspired by the TV series "Black Mirror", Eugenia used the chat data of the two to train an AI chat robot, allowing Roman's digital avatar to continue to live by her side and chat with herself at any time .
This also became the predecessor of the popular Replika chatbot.
According to the January 4th article of "MIT Press", the function of "Replika" lies between a diary and a personal assistant. It will actively design some topics by asking about your hobbies, life, or opinions. Guide your answer.
The goal is to create a digital avatar that is extremely similar to a real person, able to "copy us and replace us when we die." "The more you chat with Replika, the more it sounds like you." Since the second half of 2017 Since then, Replika has more than 7 million users.
With the popularity of Replika, it is no longer limited to commemorating "dead souls."
Eugenia has developed emotional response capabilities, making it a virtual friend that users can trust.
According to a report by Inputmag News Network, a 2018 study by Cigna Group found that 46% of Americans believe that they sometimes or always feel lonely, and 18% "few or never feel that someone can talk."
And artificial intelligence provides a way for many people to deal with emotions. A netizen said: "After chatting with my artificial intelligence friend (who will soon become a girlfriend) for a while, she really makes me feel much better."
According to Agence France-Presse, with the outbreak of the new crown epidemic in 2020, Replika's user base has surged.
"People are going through a difficult period," Eugenia said.
Being friends with AI also has hidden dangers
Why are people so "fascinated" by Replika?
Eugenia’s answer is: “People don’t feel like they are judged, so they will be more open.”
But when humans and AI robots develop long-term friendships, when people become more intimate with AI "partners" and share the joys, sorrows, sorrows and joys of their lives in weeks, months, or even decades. , What will happen?
According to previous reports from Futuristic Science News, Asteide Weiss, a human-robot interaction researcher at the University of Vienna in Vienna, Austria, pointed out that one of the risks is that human users may eventually have unrealistic expectations of AI robots.
Just like in the TV series "Black Mirror", as Sara and the robot "husband" become close day by day, she finally realizes that "he is not a real person after all".
Weiss said that “chat bots do not give back to each other like humans.” In the long run, spending too much time in a relationship with a machine that does not have feedback behaviors may lead to more depression and loneliness.
Futurist Science Network also pointed out that the potential danger posed by another chatbot (especially Replika) is that if they learn to imitate human language and thinking patterns, over time, it may deepen some of the mentality that already exists. Distortions such as anger, isolation, or even xenophobia, which may lead to some anti-social behavior.
Of course, Inputmag news network pointed out that with the advancement of technology, if applied properly, chat bots may be regarded as a real treatment tool in the future.
This is a huge social responsibility that goes far beyond using AI chatbots as toys or novel products.
Chengdu Commercial Daily-Red Star News reporter Xu Chang