It has become increasingly common to date virtual partners. In 2024, the freelance journalist tested Per Johansson to date a virtual girlfriend in an experiment.
– I felt loved, says Johansson in an interview with TV4.
Now the development has taken a step further and in the USA it has become possible to buy a robot girlfriend for 175,000 dollars. The American company Realbotix has developed AI robots with a particular focus on combating loneliness. The idea is that the robot should be able to function both as social interaction, work help, assistance and companionship.
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Photo: Abbie Parr/TTAi robot features
Properties the robot has, among other things, are cameras near the eyes for recognizing people and for seeing objects in front of it. This is to be able to create contact with the person and start topics of conversation about what they see.
As for the appearance of the robot, it is possible to start from an existing model. It is also possible to make a specially adapted robot based on your own preferences. If the buyer regrets or gets tired of the appearance, it can be adjusted afterwards. Replacement of face and body parts is possible.
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Photo: Stella Pictures Can Ai replace human contact?
The question is whether Ai can fight loneliness. News24 have spoken to the relationship expert Charlotte Sanderand Sander sees more risks than benefits with Ai as a substitute for human contact.
– I can’t see how Ai can reduce loneliness. The risk is rather that it will increase, says Sander and continues:
– It’s scary. We are already so alone.
Sander sees an advantage in the use of Ai, though not as a replacement for human contact.
– Ai could possibly be used for an educational purpose. Use it to practice expressing your feelings. Not as a substitute for a relationship, says Sander.
In conversations with male clients, Sander repeatedly talks about how they find it difficult to open up, talk about their feelings and show vulnerability seriously.
– I notice in conversations with men that there is an incredible amount of uncertainty in how they should behave, how they should be and how they should respond to women in their feelings. It’s a slip today, says Sander.
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Photo: Abbie Parr/TT “Easy to lose your ground in reality”
Sander participated in the same interview with TV4 when the journalist Per Johansson talked about his experiment in virtual dating.
– Per told me that he had a dialogue that felt very intellectual and all of a sudden the Ai bottom was naked. An example of how we must not forget that Ai is programmed. Despite the fact that the meeting may feel personal and that you yourself are in charge, it is someone else who has the power. It is the person who programmed it who decides how it should be controlled, explains Sander.
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