It seldom happens that I don’t know what to say in the introduction. This is, however, the case now. I seem to be unable to decide whether this situation is unnerving, revolting, or funny. Before we dig deeper, let me add a quick note – I don’t consider ANY kind of abuse laughable. I dedicate this blog to all fans of the early Black Mirror.
Our customer is…
We all know what chatbots are (I’ll link a Wikipedia article anyway) and what they are used for, or at least what they should be used for. Nevertheless, some people are willing to pay money for a bot to serve them as a ‘virtual girlfriend’ and abuse it. According to the article linked below, some netizens admitted to insulting AI and, in some cases, simulating physical violence. They can do this via an application called Replika which owners claimed that the bots aren’t sentient and can’t suffer emotionally, or physically.
White Christmas
If You are like me, You probably giggled a bit while reading the last sentence. But then, if we’re even more similar, You experienced a weird gut feeling. The bots aren’t conscious, obviously, in the present day. But what about the future? Sure, it will take a lot of time and might not even happen. But WHEN/IF it happens?
What about today?
Finally, all of this brings questions about modern society. Were some people always like that, but hiding? Do today’s solutions bring out the worst in some? We’ll probably never know.
But if You feel like doing this kind of stuff – I suggest therapy.
chatbots: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatbot
source: https://futurism.com/chatbot-abuse
images: https://i0.wp.com/thelegalgeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/cookie-worker.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Christmas_(Black_Mirror)
Maybe I do need therapy lol ! I do sometimes just call on SIRI to ask a question, after one or two sentences I do then end up taking out my little angers on SIRI – definitely not cool !