Reading Group Discussion: "Can Chatbots Preserve Our Relationships with the Dead?"
Please RSVP by sending an email to julia.houwen [at] mail.mcgill.ca
On April 24th, the Jarislowsky Chair in Human Nature and Technology聽will hold a group discussion on
The session will be held聽from 3-5PM,听颈苍听Thomson House, room 404.
础产蝉迟谤补肠迟:听Imagine that you are given access to an AI chatbot that compellingly mimics the personality and speech of a deceased loved one. If you start having regular interactions with this 鈥渢hanabot,鈥� could this new relationship be a continuation of the relationship you had with your loved one? And could a relationship with a thanabot preserve or replicate the value of a close human relationship? To the first question, we argue that a relationship with a thanabot cannot be a true continuation of your relationship with a deceased loved one, though it might support one鈥檚 continuing bonds with the dead. To the second question, we argue that, in and of themselves, relationships with thanabots cannot benefit us as much as rewarding and healthy intimate relationships with other humans, though we explain why it is difficult to make reliable comparative generalizations about the instrumental value of these relationships.