The friendship app Replika was created to give users a virtual chatbot to socialize with. But how it’s now being used has taken a darker turn.

  • mekhos
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    132 years ago

    And that’s why they’ll only ever have virtual girlfriends.

  • krolden
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    112 years ago

    They do it because people will get outraged and repost elsewhere.

    • @testingthis
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      52 years ago

      Are we just falling for their trap here?

      • @a_Ha
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        02 years ago

        Yes we are falling into the trap. Let’s present it as pathetic and mean, so they are shamed.
        Disclaimer.:.i.am.not.psychologist

  • Marxism-Fennekinism
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    2 years ago

    This was a pretty popular meme format among a… Certain group of internet users. The green hand representing an anonymous person (“anon”) should give you a hint of which group.

    Trigger warning: the image within is a cartoon/comic of physical and emotional abuse.

     

    So I’m not surprised that this is happening.

  • @greensand
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    2 years ago

    We’re seeing the symptom of a mental sickness of various causes that have to be tackled right from the root.

    The fact that a culture of incels could even emerge is already a warning sign that something is going awfully wrong at the intersection of socialization x sexuality.

    As many have commented here, these people need help and chatbots shouldn’t be the solution. They can’t teach socially acceptable/respectful behavior.

  • @ganymede
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    2 years ago

    ridiculous behaviour. all life must be respected, including virtual life - when we eventually encounter it.

    but…“creating AI girlfriends”

    this is the epitome of public misconception over the current state of machine learning. and one begins to wonder if its not being intentionally fueled.

  • Vegafjord eo
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    52 years ago

    “Metaverse is inevitably going to become the future of the internet.”

    This gives me such a bad taste in my mouth.

  • @masu
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    2 years ago

    deleted by creator

    • mekhos
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      52 years ago

      A number with two zeros at the end

  • @fleurc
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    42 years ago

    I accept and welcome our AI overlords, because by this point it’s 100% deserved

  • @a_Ha
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    12 years ago

    This is worst than first person shooter games ? These games results in more gun violence ?
    i have no answers, yet i say : guys better be punching a bag then a girl & abusing a phone then a real person.

    • @Belaptir
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      2 years ago

      deleted by creator

    • Marxism-Fennekinism
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      2 years ago

      Just saying, this situation is the opposite of “video games cause violence”. People who do this already enjoy this stuff, and are doing this because of it, not the other way around.

    • @k_o_t
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      32 years ago

      exactly my thoughts

      if anything, a person releasing their harmful-to-a-real-person tendencies on an algorithm is a sign that this person realises the harmful consequences of these tendencies and therefore doesn’t abuse a real person

      not much different from videogames, but because of the novelty of this particular case it’s perceived as bad 🤷‍♀️

      • I think it’s actually enabling their desires, and the AI is secondary. We know from people that work with robots (like Spot from BD) that they start humanising them and feel empathy towards what are essentially machines. It’s a very neat capacity we have, where we even give them names, personal pronouns, and personalities.

        I tried GP3 AIs before (AI Dungeon for example) and it’s convincing enough. Sometimes they lose track of the conversation or just reply something generic (e.g. you ask if they like flowers specifically and they just say “I love them”, not “I love flowers”). But with the added context of this AI being presented in a text convo, it can feel like you’re texting someone real.

        • @k_o_t
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          42 years ago

          wouldn’t this logic be applicable to videogames also? when i’m playing a game, if at any random point i’d be interrupted and asked whether the people in the game are real, i’d of course say no, but whenever i’m playing the game, i don’t ever think about that: if it’s a good game, i feel sad for the losses of the characters, feel on edge in tense situations, and happy for their gains, even knowing that these characters aren’t real

          but even if it’s enabling, why is this a bad thing? for example, bdsm-esque fantasies are fairly common, and as long as people play them out in a consenting, safe manner, there’s nothing harmlful about it, and people aren’t being dragged into mental asylums for it

          i’m not exactly sure what the nature of verbal abuse the article is discussing, but i think it’s a fair comparison

          • I think the difference with a game is you don’t seek violent games out for the sake of fulfilling murderous urges. In this example we would be giving manhunt to serial killers in becoming.

            The ai, contrary to a consenting person, can’t say no - - replika at least is designed not to say no and go on with everything you say. With a human you have boundaries and consent can be revoked at any time. the implications of consent with AI are beyond my scope, but I can’t see her as a consenting partner in those fantasies and I can’t see that as being a healthy replacement or even analog.

            Enabling reinforces the behavior in people, it’s like giving someone fake casino games. If they have what it takes to become addicted, they will soon turn to real casinos with real money because the fake thing is just not the same. By all accounts enabling is the exact opposite of what you should do to treat a disorder, which is to curb it.

            • @k_o_t
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              2 years ago

              I think the difference with a game is you don’t seek violent games out for the sake of fulfilling murderous urges. In

              we prolly play very different videogames lol 😅

              running around in a busy gta 5 lobby or playing a counter strike match on eastern european servers often makes me think that the most vile, hateful, murderous, abusive psychopaths all came together to play with me, if i didn’t know that these are actually normal people irl

              i think many people actively seek to play games to realise their violent tendencies, griefing everything that moves and does’t move in minecraft, just driving around on a gta 5 map and blowing everyone up for no reason

              and just like these users posting their abusive conversations with chatbots, in videogames people do post clips of, say, creating a massive car pile up on a highway and then exploding all of them, and it’s not considered bad in any way

              Enabling reinforces the behavior in people, it’s like giving someone fake casino games. If they have what it takes to become addicted, they will soon turn to real casinos with real money because the fake thing is just not the same. By all accounts enabling is the exact opposite of what you should do to treat a disorder, which is to curb it.

              once again, couldn’t this same logic be applied to videogames? i still fail to see the difference between this and videogames: of course an ai chat bot is very different from a relationship with a real person, with the latter establishing boundaries and saying no to things, but so are the aspects of owning a gun and driving a car different compared to a videogame, where you can behave however irresponsibly you want, which in no way translates into how you’d want to handle a gun and a car in real life

              • Yeah, in those cases gamers probably look out for catharsis. It’s different from specifically playing violent games (say play a serial killer in Rust) as a way to build up before committing the actual act or rehearse it, or even fulfil the urge because you want to kill someone, you just don’t have the guts to do it yet.

                There’s probably a discussion to be had about people building up towards their urges with video games (there’s even a VR experience for managers where you practice firing an employee, imagine that) and this is good, because this one topic has opened up another to be explored!

      • Marxism-Fennekinism
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        2 years ago

        Surely there are healthier ways of dealing with abuse fantasies. Seeing a therapist for example so they can get started on cognitive behaviour therapy and/or medication.

        • @k_o_t
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          2 years ago

          i’m not sure, i’m not a psychologist 🤷

          there may be some underlying issues causing this that you’d want to seek help for, or there may be not and this is just another of the myriad of weird fantasies people tend to have and you can’t “correct” much about it idk 🤷‍♀️

        • @a_Ha
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          12 years ago

          Unfortunately, some people want to stay sick & some countries do not offer “gratis” (free) basic care, nevermind psychotherapy.

          Sorry for late answer …i waited for the downvote show to cool down & @k_o_t@lemmy.ml comments here are better than mine !

    • NFT screenshotter
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      fedilink
      22 years ago

      This is different because in most shooter games you’re shooting nameless faceless bots that could easily be replaced with literal robots, zombies, moving punching bags, or anything else because at it’s core its a point and click game. This is worse because it creates a character with a name, a face, emotions and who talks. These people are being sadistic to something because it appears to behave like a normal person would by the things they do.

      • @a_Ha
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        2 years ago

        Preventing attacks on World Trade Center by blocking flight simulators is not practical. Let’s protect people. And let’s offer free therapy for those in need.

        • NFT screenshotter
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          22 years ago

          I’m not saying we should ban the apps I’m just saying these people are already messed up and it’s definitely worse than people playing an FPS.

          • @a_Ha
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            12 years ago

            right, yes, absolutely

  • @TheAnonymouseJokerM
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    -12 years ago

    This is sadism. BDSM kinks, unless done by mentally healthy couples in bedroom for fun, come from a particular kind of people in society, and they must be treated or isolated. If they self isolate, even better.

    I personally think that it is amazing that technology is helping bring out these people into the open, even if the act itself by these people is an issue. The first step to correcting problems is acknowledgement and a welcoming attitude.

  • @0x90
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    2 years ago

    Removed by mod

    • @a_Ha
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      22 years ago

      divide et impera .Latin.phrase.
      meaning - - divide and rule : split the opposition so that it ceases to threaten your own power

      On this thread people are divided and so fail to see your point …how ironic !

      • @0x90
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        2 years ago

        Removed by mod