[sterlind]

on the other hand, Musk et al are building AI-powered thirst traps, like Grok's "Ani", or the accursed Replika bots (whose user base went on suicide watch when the company abruptly decided to digitally neuter their "companions.")

erotic roleplay, imo, is much less harmful than using LLMs as surrogate partners. porn and sex workers have existed for millenia. they're an outlet for sexual tension. they don't alleviate feeling lonely or provide an alternative to human companionship.

I'm worried we'll produce a generation of hikkikomoris, who eschew human connection for sycophantic machines that always listen and never breaks their heart.

[danw1979]

The founding story of Replika (c.2016 ?) sounds like someone watched Black Mirror S2E02 (2013) and didn’t quite understand it was supposed to be dystopian.

[jondwillis]

We already have a generation of hikkikomoris stepping up at bat. The ones behind them in line will be something else altogether!