Even If AI Can Cure Loneliness -- Should It?

Businesses that make and sell products that replicate human connection are serving a deep need, but they may also be changing social norms in ways that can't be reversed. Many experts believe augmentation and automation are the shining stars of business uses of AI; their promise of greater productivity has lit up the executive imagination. In their shadow, however, a growing number of AI applications and devices are helping humans satisfy a basic need to connect with others. In particular, markets are slowly forming around artificially intelligent, emotionally attuned, responsive robots that people can relate to as companions. Certainly, if army veterans can form bonds with drones, many people can form emotional connections with their bots, either in lieu of human alternatives or in addition to them.