13 February 22 - 28, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents who fall in love with bridges, blow-up dolls and other inanimate objects, celebrity stalk- ers, catfish and thousands of yearly victims. But the illusion is getting more sophisticated, and the experience more satisfying. AI “personalities” have become popular in the worlds of entertainment (such as rap- per FN Meka, who earned a major label deal and then was “fired” for using the N-word, as a white man’s design), as Instagram influ- encers, and in the world of fashion, with AI models replacing human models, no matter how much the latter can be altered through beauty procedures and Photoshop. AI systems are attractive “companions” because they are readily available and reli- ably affirming. In Social Discovery’s report, 42% of those surveyed stated that “AI has helped reduce anxiety around their own sexuality.” In an article for Hypebae, Gigi Fong spoke with EVA AI’s CEO Tany Save, who recounted interviewing an EVA AI user. In this interview, a female user claimed that using EVA AI led her to realize that she was bisexual and calling off her engagement to her then fiancé. Choosing an AI chatbot as a companion isn’t without its own set of serious woes. Dhaliwal says that early versions of EVA AI and similar chatbots were too agreeable. “There were examples of people saying they wanted to hurt himself or hurt some- one else or do something terrible,” he says. “And the bot would encourage it, saying ‘I support you,’ or being super positive about everything.” Social Discovery Group is avoiding these situations by putting up guard rails against those types of responses, prompting the chatbot to now encourage users to seek help outside of the AI. Dhaliwal categorizes dating into three categories: Dating 1.0 includes your run-of- the-mill, friend-of-a-friend, in-person dates; Dating 2.0 entails online dating platforms such as Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge; finally, Dating 3.0 is the realm of apps such as EVA AI. This third category is where technology itself is used to create relationships. While Dating 3.0 feels like an entirely new realm, Dhaliwal says that AI features have already been introduced to online dat- ing platforms. “Examples of that are conversation start- ers and suggested responses,” he says. “When you are chatting with somebody, sometimes you are not sure what to say [or] how to keep the conversation going, you can use AI to help think of something cool to say.” While EVA AI is just the latest example of AI-infused romance settling into the atten- tion economy, the app calls into question where the internet and technology stand in relation to our personal lives — should we be anticipating an Olivia Rodrigo album that chronicles a breakup with an AI dialog sys- tem? We’d listen … that’s for sure. Whether romantic companionship with AI dialog systems is really the ticket to a less atomized world or just another cop-out of in- vesting in actual community, “we should at least be asking the question,” Dhaliwal says. PRE-K - COLLEGE PRIVATE IN-HOME TUTORING ALL SUBJECTS & FOREIGN LANGUAGES K-12 HOMESCHOOL TEST PREP COLLEGE & PRIVATE SCHOOL ADMISSIONS EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING COGNITIVE ASSESSMENTS YOU NEED IT? TUTORVILLE DOES IT! TUTORVILLETUTORS.COM 972-693-0885 [email protected] DALLAS NE OPENING SOON!