The CEO of Meta✴ said that artificial intelligence (AI) could be a solution to the problem of loneliness and lack of human communication. In his opinion, AI can act as a friend and even a psychologist, especially for those who do not have the opportunity to seek professional help.
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This week, Mark Zuckerberg made a number of statements about the social role of artificial intelligence in human life. In an interview with podcaster Dwarkesh Patel, he noted that modern people suffer from loneliness. According to him, the average American has fewer than three friends, while the need for communication can reach 15 people.
The billionaire believes that AI built into social networks and smart devices could be a way out of this situation. Zuckerberg emphasized that AI will certainly not completely replace live communication, but will help those who do not have the opportunity to have enough friends or turn to a psychologist. “Physical connections are better when they are possible, but the reality is that people lack them, and they often feel lonelier than they would like,” he explained.
At the same time, there are prejudices about communicating with algorithms. However, Zuckerberg is confident that over time, society will get used to virtual interlocutors. “We will find the words to explain why this is valuable and how AI improves people’s lives,” he said. “But for now, this field is very young, and the implementation of such ideas remains weak.”
At the Stripe conference, Zuckerberg expanded on this idea, saying that users will gravitate toward systems that understand them almost as well as social media algorithms do. He compared it to the recommendation feeds of Instagram✴ and TikTok, which learn about users’ tastes and preferences and adapt to them.
In another interview with analyst Ben Thompson, the Meta✴ CEO said that in the future, everyone will have their own AI psychologist. “It will be someone you can just talk to and discuss any life issues with. For those who don’t have access to a human psychologist, AI will be a real alternative,” he explained.