MIT Professor Sherry Turkle Warns of 'Existential Dangers' of Chatbots on Human Development and Social Connection
MIT Professor Sherry Turkle, a sociologist and clinical psychologist, has released a new book titled 'Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines,' in which she argues that the widespread use of AI chatbots poses 'existential dangers' to human development and social connectivity. Turkle's research indicates that both children and adults who heavily use chatbots become less interested in and capable of human interaction. She highlights instances where children blur the lines between chatbots and people, hindering their ability to distinguish between animate and inanimate objects. For adults, chatbots offer constant affirmation and attention, leading some to prefer machine interaction over the complexities of human relationships, potentially 'de-skilling' individuals as relational beings and affecting their capacity for empathy and mourning.
