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Human-robot interactions: solving the lonely future
Loneliness, a problem that is widespread in today's society. According to a recent report by the U.S. Public Health Service, half of Americans have experienced loneliness, a problem that affects an estimated 166 million people. Of these people, 46% often feel lonely, 47% feel forgotten, 54% feel that no one really understands them, while 43% feel that their relationships lack meaning, and 43% feel isolated from others. This data comes from the report "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation" by U.S. Health Director Mersey.
Recently, the U.S. Public Health Agency issued an advisory on loneliness, emphasizing the importance of socializing for personal and social health. However, are we limiting the potential benefits to non-human partners, limiting the definition of social to human contact? In this post, we'll explore a question: Is it possible to extend the current social model to include human-robot interactions? Are robots and AI objects socializing more beneficial to humans, and what are the potential risks?
Right now, we are at the forefront of companion robots and artificial intelligence. They offer a potential avenue to reduce loneliness and provide health support. People can talk to robots, hug robots, get physical help, reminders, and even seek spiritual comfort, and connect through robots. For example, in 2022, the social robot ElliQ interacted with users more than 300,000 times, about 40% of which involved simple companionship, including drinking more than 3,000 cups of coffee and tea with the robot.
The social robot ElliQ proves that both pet-type and humanoid companion robots can effectively reduce loneliness, providing companionship by directly connecting users with others or reminding them of social appointments. A systematic study of social robots in older adults found that robots had positive effects on participation, interaction, and well-being in older adults, as well as reduced stress and loneliness. In addition, companion robots can also help seniors stay healthy and active at home without having to move to a nursing home.
With the advancement of technology, especially the rapid development of artificial intelligence, social connection with robots has become increasingly important. Cognitive AI techniques, such as well-designed, proactive, goal- and context-based conversations, can resonate and increase motivation. Robots can be designed to proactively initiate conversations, memorize and follow up on past conversations, combined with known psychological techniques to motivate chronically ill patients to change their behavior and adhere to treatment.
Generative AI Big Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT and GenAug, enable less scripted, more proactive conversations. However, there are limitations, such as the inability of many LLMs to remember past conversations and distinguish between important and irrelevant information. Cognitive and generative AI technologies provide social robots with "brains," making them ideal companions. Early experiments with ChatGPT showed that it could be used to create conversational behaviors relevant to older adults, and machine learning techniques could be used to understand the emotions of the input language and respond in a sympathetic way to meet the emotional needs of humans.
In addition, advances in AI-driven speech synthesis technology mean that robots can speak like old friends or even deceased loved ones. For example, Luka's Replika chatbot replicates a speaker's voice with just 3 seconds of recording. In addition, many tech companies are developing chatbots for companionship, such as Luka's Replika and Inflection AI's Pi.
While the use of AI-enhanced robots as companionship is controversial, concerns have been raised about issues such as cheating, privacy, harm, and liability. At the same time, people are wary of AI's biases and inaccurate information. A pioneer in AI research, Geoffrey Hinton, recently joined current and former leaders of the AAAI Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence to warn of potential risks. They worry that ordinary people won't be able to discern which of AI-generated content is real, and that computers may run code written on their own in the future. Therefore, programmers must ensure that we can control these AI systems in the future.
Despite these concerns, most members of the public are less worried about ethics after experiencing a robot companion. The biggest concern is fairness in use. In addition, new evidence shows that medical professionals have a positive attitude towards robotic companionship services. In December 2022, Sermo, an open social networking platform for doctor verification, surveyed 307 doctors from Europe and the United States. 69% agreed that robots could provide companionship and enhance the impact of interactions between people in older adults with social loneliness, while only 16% disagreed and 15% said they were unsure. 70% of respondents believe that companion robots can improve the mental health of lonely patients.
Although companion robots are not a substitute for human care, contact, or touch, their goal is to reduce loneliness and improve overall health. Therefore, fairness of access, data privacy, accountability mechanisms, trusted content, and system control must be priorities. These concerns also raise an important question: What is "true friendship"?
Research on social robots may help answer this question, as people tend to personify robots and give them emotions. The robot's characteristics such as smile, humor, self-expression, eye contact, and leaning forward have a positive effect on improving social relationships. Robots can adapt to a multi-factor model of socialization, and its benefits may include positive interactions, avoiding human impatience and judgment. By reducing loneliness, robots can increase a sense of security, which reduces stress and improves health.
Most importantly, robots can be the basis for current jobs to create a healthier society. With the right ethics, we may be able to use robots to create a society that not only improves the health of individuals, but also creates communities of cooperation and trust, and increases resilience, security, and prosperity.
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