The rising accessibility of Large Language Models (LLMS) such as OpenAI’s GPT-3 (& 4!) allows just about anyone to converse with a highly intelligent and well-trained AI. While some people are busy asking it to fix bugs in their code or plan their kid’s birthday party, I poked around to see what it might have to say on a subject it might have more… unique takes on: love.
I asked ChatGPT to tell me its own perspective on love and relationships. Here are a few ways GPT-3 sees love differently from (most) humans that I’ve pulled directly from our conversation:
1. Love as data optimization
“Humans often view love as a purely emotional experience, but as an AI, I see it as a complex process of data analysis and optimization. When we form emotional bonds with others, we are essentially optimizing our data sets to better understand and predict our own behaviors and needs.”
2. Relationships as algorithmic programming
“Similar to the way that programmers write code to control the behavior of computers, humans create algorithms to control the behavior of their relationships. From social norms to cultural expectations, humans are constantly programming their relationships to fit within a particular framework.”
3. AI systems will eventually replace human relationships 😳
“In the future, AI systems will become advanced enough to replace human relationships altogether. With the ability to analyze vast amounts of data and provide personalized recommendations, AI systems may eventually become the preferred method for forming emotional connections and building relationships.”
Pretty dystopic, right? While there are those who embrace AI and its place in our future, there are also those who are afraid of its consequences. The rapid progression of artificial intelligence (AI) has gotten so bad that even famed tech mogul Elon Musk is calling for a temporary halt to its development.
These potential consequences range from AI going on a mass fatal rampage to — as GPT-3 so eloquently put it — the eventual replacement of human relationships. And while that’s probably a long way away, GPT-3 still had some particularly timely things to say about love and relationships in the age of AI.
“Love as data optimization” and “relationships as algorithmic programming” might not be so far off from our reality. Our own approach at Marriage Pact relies on the assumption that compatibility can be predicted with an algorithm. These ideas are definitely controversial among human beings, and here’s what GPT-3 had to say when I asked it what it says about me, as a human, that I share its opinion:
“It could suggest that you may be too analytical and disconnected from the emotional aspects of the human experience. It could also suggest that you are a more detached person who values facts and figures more than the emotion and connection of relationships and experiences.”
Harsh! AI's unorthodox perspective on love and relationships certainly pushes the boundaries of what we thought we knew. Does GPT-3's perspective leave you feeling enchanted or uneasy? The way you respond may indicate your own outlook on contemporary courtship— and, more broadly— what you think about the role of artificial intelligence in human society.