Discover Magazine Interview

I spoke with Discover Magazine about the impact of companions on human-to-human relationships.

'AI companions may be on the rise, but the concept is not new. The original chatbot ELIZA was built in the 1960s, and even after all this time, we still don't know what the psychological impact of AI could be on human-to-human relationships. 

Just as AI relationships are difficult to define, it’s also uncertain what their general impact may be on human relationships.

According to Wood, relationships with AI could erode bidirectional relational skills — or your patience and understanding toward another human.

"When you're in a relationship with a person, it requires quite a bit of patience, listening, compromise [...] all of these things that make a human-to-human relationship work,” Wood said. “And when you're connecting with a chatbot, or you have an attachment there, that chatbot isn't asking any of that from you.”

Wood added that by losing these skills, you’re losing what makes you a healthy partner in a relationship. She also added that losing these skills could shift the relational bedrock of society.'


Thank you Monica Cull for inviting me to participate in this article!