Generative AI + EQ

What if I told you there’s a necklace you can buy for $99 and have a conversation with it. It will provide you with witty and empathetic responses, and sometimes even roast you. So, the question I ask is this, has 2001 Space Odyssey’s “Hal” become our “Friend”?

A few of us decided to watch a movie at the local theater, where Arnold Schwarzenegger was starring in a futuristic sci-fi movie called "The Terminator." The problem? It was an R-rated movie where you needed to be 17 years old or with a parent or guardian - neither of which we were or had.

So, as any respectable hooligan during the 80's would do, we snuck in.

To this day, the dystopian flick is one of my favorite films of all time. The time travel, the T-800 cyborg, aka: Cyberdyne Systems Model 101 composed of living tissue over a hyper-alloy endoskeleton, the concept of removing a future leader by assassinating his mother before he was even a twinkle in her eye, and especially the relentless determination of the terminator explosion after explosion even after losing both legs and an arm.

You could say that Schwarzenegger's terminator lacked empathy...

Perhaps if the terminator wore a Friend necklace, it may have learned some empathy and go on to enjoy an alternate life filled with connection and meaning.

With the release of the sequel Terminator 2 in the summer of 1991, two things happened. I was old enough to purchase alcohol, so I no longer needed to sneak in to watch the movie, and the Terminator returns to the past, except this time, he is a bodyguard and not an assassin.

In fact, the terminator learns to be more than just a protector - it becomes the father-figure missing from John Connor's youth. During the span of 150 minutes from title to end credits, the film depicts a robot capable of not only observing and learning, but synthesizing the data to formulate newly learned responses.

This terminator had evidently read Carol Dweck’s book on growth mindset and applied it successfully. In a similar fashion, today's real-life generative AI is specifically designed to do just that - learn and grow.

Whether it's optimizing a business supply chain, anticipating the wear and failure of a mechanism, or learning to prioritize in a way that increases revenue, Gen-AI is going to revolutionize business.

This is sci-fi, no doubt. However, with the pace at which generative artificial intelligence is speeding down the highway of technology, it's more important for humanity to face the chasm between AI and what AI could become in the near future.

For example, generative ai agents are already capable of learning and adapting to patterns by creating net-new content to include text, image, designs, tasks and activities. Over time, it can learn to coordinate various agent activities, synthesize the data, apply logic and evaluate and choose to execute the 'right' solution set.

Companies like Google's Gemini, Microsoft, OpenAI, C3 AI, and many more are proliferating the ai industry with platforms, bots, software applications and devices like Friend.

While current headlines are hyping sentient AI robots overtaking society like in the movie "Ex-Machina," or the classic "2001: A Space Odyssey," we may be missing the real danger as it lurks with the immediate impact AI is having on people's inner-being. In other words, our minds.

In fact, I would propose that the impact of technology has already begun its battles with the human mind resulting in anxiety, depression and loneliness at a level not seen before.

Consider another movie - Her - released in 2013 starring Joaquin Phoenix, about a heartbroken man who chooses to take up a service that creates an intuitive and uniquely 'created' voice that speaks to him through his device, with intimate and deep feelings, and eventually overtakes his life.

There's evidence of mental illness such as depression and anxiety as early as the second millennium BC in ancient Mesopotamia, but the rate at which it has become prevalent in society has increased exponentially.

And, our children are especially susceptible. (See previous article: "Puffing on Cellphones")

Generative AI has the potential to revolutionize the way we look at mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Products like the friend necklace is an example of how AI can create meaningful connections, providing emotional support and alleviating feelings of isolation resulting in anxiety and depression. And while the ethical implications must be carefully acknowledged, the positive impact of generative AI on mental health is undeniably enticing, offering new avenues for support and care in an increasingly digital world.

Good or bad, we must first be aware and be willing to address technology and its effects.

#ai #artificialintelligence #genai #agents #gemini #chatgpt