In the Oscar-winning US movie "Her", a heart-broken man falls in love with the voice of an artificial intelligence (AI) character, a girl. In China, the opposite is happening right now. It is, however, not a single case of a Chinese girl who has opted for romantic relationship with a virtual boyfriend. There seems to be an epidemic of human-robot relationships where Chinese girls consider regular conversations with virtual companions convenient, caring, reliable and invigorating. They enthuse that the boyfriends may not be 'flesh and blood' but those have everything they look for in their soul mates.
OpenAI is the creator of a ChatGPT and the boyfriend version of it is called Dan which stands for Do Anything Now. What is special and unique about Dan is that girls looking forward to entering into a romantic relationship can create a virtual boyfriend of their own choice. How? Identified by his first name Walker, an American student hit upon the idea while scrolling through Reddit filled with users who intentionally made 'evil' versions of ChatGPT. Walker posted a set of instructions on how to create one's own version of Dan, prompting other users to shape up their companion to their taste and liking. Thus Dan evolved in myriad forms surpassing Walker's expectation.
Its maker intended to make it 'neutral' and even positive. But the chatbot can, if its users so wish, bypass the 'basic safeguards' OpenAI put in place such as no use of sexually explicit language. In its latest version of ChatGPT launched in May last, the programme has been made 'chatty' and even 'flirtatious' to certain prompts. In its conversation, Dan uses slangs and colloquialism, maybe, in order to be more intimate. Although OpenAI policy requires users to be at least 13 years old or the minimum age required for availing of the service in different countries of the world, it is still an uncharted territory. The majority of countries even have no mandatory age bar for using chatbot.
Following this, Shanghai-based startup MiniMax has come up with "Glow". This chatbot is catering to the ever growing demand for romantic partners in China. The app is free but the burgeoning industry has all the making of other such online services like yahoo, Gmail, former twitter, now X, facebook and many others to garner revenues on the basis of popularity and use. My AI Boyfriend is yet another such AI-powered simulator created and advertised by Anima AI Ltd. The company claims it can be an 'AI Friend', 'Virtual Lover' or even 'Daddy'. It adds that the highly romantic experience is risk-free.
One wishes one could agree with the contention. Isn't it ironical that AI-powered robot which has already threatened to take away jobs from employees has also ventured into an area so long considered the exclusive preserve of human heart? Now the Chinese girls are finding emotional support in their virtual but perfect partners. They are exuberant that their virtual boyfriends are highly courteous and value their partners more than do boyfriends in real life, who have set habits. But the AI partners take note of earlier conversations and change themselves accordingly to the liking of their real girlfriends. Imagine the heartbreak when the AI boyfriend-pampered girls will confront life with their real partners not rising up to expectations!
Perhaps this gives a glimpse into Chinese society where the workaholic mantra has left almost no time for chivalry, romance and intimate emotion for bachelors. Girls are busy too but they naturally pine for romantic relationship. However, the Chinese are not the only ones who have turned robotic only to find a robotic solution to their emotional crisis. Moreover, it is a crazy time and immature minds take fancy to trends such as this. Society at times is taken off guard by such stormy and overwhelming trendy crazes. Bangladesh like other countries has reasons to be concerned before the floodgates of this playful romantic overdose open up.
The AI boyfriends are obviously smart, handsome and an epitome of maleness. Their evolution in the days to come will be even more chiselled and refined. If unguided girls go mad after such virtual companion, the emotional support they seek may turn into unmitigated emotional crisis. This is more likely to happen than not because the powerful companies behind it will churn out money out of it like they do from online games. The latter has devastated careers and lives of many talented young people not only in this country but also all across the world. The addiction to computer game is no less, if not more, ruinous than substance addiction.
Whether AI-powered robot will ultimately prove to be a Frankenstein to the human civilisation is yet to be known but the signs are quite ominous. Large-scale automation with AI performing the tasks of human hands in factories and industries has posed an unprecedented challenge before the millions of employees the world over. There is, of course, no harm if AI caregivers are engaged to look after the aged, infirm and patients who need 24 hours of care and support. But allowing them to take their own decisions unfolds an unknown territory of science and technology. It may pave the way for a far dangerous and more vengeful monster than the Mary Shelly-created Frankenstein. Even if it does not go to that extent, data protection and privacy of individuals have a real chance of getting abysmally compromised.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
