Will AI make us lonely?

AI can feel like a companion while making work more solitary. Eric and John ask what social media can teach us about this risk, and how to use AI to strengthen human connection. Read and listen on the show website: https://www.tokenintelligenceshow.com... ---------------- Summary ---------------- Eric accidentally told the principal at his kids' school, "I'm actually gonna go sit in an office alone and talk to AI all day." That's not the most inspiring description of a workday, but it's accurate, and that should give us pause. AI seems to follow the same shape as social media, with a grand promise that it doesn't always deliver on. Social media was supposed to increase our connection with each other, yet many of us feel more isolated. AI could follow the same path, and potentially be worse. The current user experience of AI is deeply individual, and it can give you a false sense of connection because it is conversational. Could that end up making us more isolated? AI has become a core part of our modern technological toolset. Eric and John discuss how to use it intentionally so that it increases our capacity for human connection. ------------------------ Key takeaways ------------------------ Mind the gap between man and machine: AI can seem human, but it isn't. Pay attention to how a conversational interface shapes your relationship with it. Efficiency isn't the ultimate outcome: When AI reduces the need to collaborate, we can miss out on the best form of collaboration available: working with other humans. Make human relationships the goal: Ask how AI can make your relationships deeper, not just more efficient. Notable mentions and links: Pew Research Center on U.S. adults' TikTok use: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/... Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone: https://robertdputnam.com/bowling-alone/ CDC research on adult loneliness: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/w...