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Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence and the Social Connection
Personal Perspective: Will automatization help us recognize our need for connection?
Posted January 3, 2024 Reviewed by Monica Vilhauer
Key points
- Automation will replace a lot of human connection.
- Will the development of AI highlight the importance of social connection?
- Those with great social and communication skills won't easily be replaced.
It’s common these days to read articles speculating on how AI is going to replace millions of jobs and the implications of such a development. However, in almost all of the articles that I have read, the focus is on what AI can now do, not on the needs of humans.
Let’s make no mistake AI is a very powerful tool. However, for the most part, it is practical artificial intelligence. AI is awesome for automating tasks but not so good at imitating humans. Oh sure, the robot at the end of the line when you call any company can generally direct you to the right place or even take your payment, but they can also be annoyingly ignorant when you have a question they don’t understand.
Recently I called my internet and TV provider about a problem I was having with my DVD recorder.
“I don’t see an outage in your area,” it said to me.
“I’m not calling about that,” I replied.
“I don’t see an outage in your area,” it repeated.
This went on through a few cycles.
“I don’t see an outage in your area,” it said for the umpteenth time.
“Well, I see an intellectual outage in your area!” I yelled before hanging up.
The Immense Power of Positive Connection
Several years ago my wife was diagnosed with cancer and we were directed to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston about two hours from where we live. It turned out to be a remarkable experience.
Over several visits that spanned a couple of years, everyone – and I mean everyone -- we encountered at this institution was amazingly kind and compassionate. From the receptionists to the nurses to the doctors and even the garage parking attendant, everyone was kind, engaging, and warm.
As I drove out one evening after I had left my wife overnight in the hospital, the parking attendant asked what was happening, how my wife was doing and expressed his sincerest wishes for her recovery. One time we were a little lost in a corridor and a doctor stopped, asked if we needed help, and directed us to where we needed to go. It was simply amazing. And not once over numerous visits and interactions did anyone deviate from this warm, compassionate demeanor. Incredible!
Our experience definitely helped with our engagement in treatment and helped in my wife’s complete recovery. Indeed, recent research is beginning to show how critical such engagement is in healthcare outcomes. Patients need a resilient mindset to deal with the stresses of illnesses and a good part of that resilience comes from social support and encouragement.
In a 2019 paper on resilience in cancer patients, Seiler and Jenewein conclude after an extensive literature review that “Biological, personal, and most importantly social factors contribute to cancer patients’ resilience and, consequently, to favorable psychological and treatment-related outcomes.”
Many years ago I was the consultant psychologist for a large weight loss support organization that had thousands of groups around the country. When the groups were well run, the results were amazing, with members lovingly supporting each other. When the groups were just a moan session, the results weren’t so good. Actually, they were probably detrimental. Life is about adaptation, not whining.
The impact of a positive, warm interaction cannot be underestimated
Resilience, or self-efficacy, is related to better outcomes in anything, including health.
I happen to know seven unrelated people who were all given a fatal prognosis, and told they had anywhere between three and twelve months to live. All of them not only survived but thrived and they all had one thing in common: they refused to believe they were going to die. Each of them used different lifestyle changes to avoid death but the one common characteristic was their resilience. And what was especially important was that each of them had the loving support of family and friends.
So, I hope that MUSC doesn’t even think about replacing some of their staff with robots, no matter how human they pretend to be.
Do We Take Social Interaction for Granted?
The value and impact of human interaction is probably taken for granted, even in the relatively meaningless situations, like at the grocery checkout line. However, some stores are finding that, amongst other issues like customers not paying the right amount, people are missing the social interaction they had with a real, live human being, even at the checkout counter.
Perhaps one of the developments as AI progresses is that people will begin to appreciate the value of even casual social interaction and resent impersonators. If that happens, there will then be more awareness not only of the potentially life-saving value of interaction but the undervalued importance of being able to communicate effectively, anywhere, any time.
Pragmatics and practical intelligence are valuable but they are not more important than real connection. And let’s not forget that virtual interaction is not the same as real interaction at both a psychological and neurobiological level. Extraverts rejoice. Introverts, those robots are coming for your job!
References
Seiler A, Jenewein J. Resilience in Cancer Patients. Front Psychiatry. 2019 Apr 5;10:208. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00208. PMID: 31024362; PMCID: PMC6460045.
