Companionship through A.I.
Why I'm not introducing it to my kids
Both of my grandmothers would make incredible A.I. companions.
I’d use one for everyday, down-and-dirty, big family tips. She had TWELVE kids. So, I’m sure there are things she’d teach me if she were here, and I have no doubt it would be delivered with a healthy dose of no-nonsense, no-pity pluck.
I’d use the other to add a sense of adventure and enchantment to my motherhood journey. Her A.I. avatar would deliver a dose of whimsy I couldn’t muster up if I tried.
Last week, NPR covered a story about a family who created an A.I. version of their grandfather through his own writings and other documents about him throughout his life. It wasn’t Big Tech who created that A.I. grandpa, but a number of companies offer versions of that very idea today.
You, Only Virtual has garnered a lot of press. Seance AI wins for best name. And HereAfter AI invites you — very much alive — to allow the app to interview you now so your loved ones can interact with a chatbot of you later. Later later — after you’re gone.
But one company focused on A.I. companionship has more users than any other. Not just any other companion A.I., more than any other any A.I., except ChatGPT.
Yes, you’re reading that right: ChatGPT is the number one A.I. app in the world, and an app with pretend friends is number two. And climbing.
A.I.-focused media went wild last month when the numbers came out. ChatGPT (at the time) had nearly 6 million monthly active app users in the U.S. while Character A.I. had 4.2 million, and it was just released in May.
If you’re feeling a little taken aback, confused, or maybe a little… old, there’s good reason. Nearly 60 percent of those monthly users on the Character A.I. app are between the ages of 18 and 24.
It’s a young person’s app in a young person’s world (their phones). And if you’re reading a blog about parenting in the age of A.I., you’re probably not that young.
When thinking about these numbers (from SimilarWeb), there are two things that pertain to this page especially:
Under 18 isn’t even counted. How many of them are using it?
Our kids will be in this 18-24 age group in no time.
So, what even happens on Character A.I.? Chit chat.
Imagine if you could ask Steve Jobs about a business idea you have or pick Mia Hamm’s brain about soccer training you can do at home or find out what Harry Potter thinks about the Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce romance. Or maybe you just want a friend who really wants to hear and talk about you — none of their messy personal business getting in the way.
With Character A.I., you can do just that. And users are in. The company just announced their average user spends two hours a day on the app. Meanwhile, ChatGPT, the one we’ve all heard of and can’t stop talking about, is seeing a decrease in time spent per session.
The difference is in how Character A.I. developer and former Google A.I. expert Noam Shazeer categorizes A.I. use cases. He calls them the three Cs: creativity, companionship, and copilots.
People use ChatGPT to get stuff done. Time spent on the app decreasing could be seen as a plus in that way. We’re getting more efficient at being efficient.
People use Character A.I. as a form of entertainment. TV, social media with your friends, and now chatting with literally anyone ever — dead or alive — can keep you entertained for hours.
As soon as you click on the site, you see a pop-up.
This is not a fact-finding expedition. This is not work. This is fun. And keeping you on the site, talking with whoever you want and about whatever you want seems to be working.
So, what’s the big deal for me and my kids?
I’ve introduced them to ChatGPT and its new image-creation capabilities with Dall-E. I’m not opposed to showing them what’s going on in the world of A.I., letting them try it out and getting them thinking about what’s to come.
So, why won’t I be introducing them to Character A.I. or its counterparts? Screen time.
Looking back at those three Cs, I’d love to encourage all of them.
Creativity? Yes! I can obviously see how current A.I. tools can be considered cheating in this realm, but they’re also not going away. So, a little usage and knowledge can help them now and in the long run.
Copilots? Yes! I want them doing more thinking and less thunking.
But companionship? I guess I’m just an old lady here, but I’d like to hold off as long as possible on keeping that in the “real world,” whatever that means nowadays. Our phone-saddled kids already do so much of their companioning through text or other forms of social media. I won’t be introducing another screen-based platform for that.
Let’s use our A.I. powered screens to get more done, in less time, and let’s teach our kids how to do the same. But let’s use that newfound time to log off and get more face time (not FaceTime) with companions we can see, hear, and touch.
Our grandmothers might not be here anymore. And we can probably create a pretty good avatar of them now. But I bet I can find big family how-tos and sparkles of enchantment from those in my current sphere, too.
End note: I specifically said I won’t be introducing my kids to A.I. companionship. But that doesn’t mean I'll block it or ignore it when they discover it elsewhere. We have a responsibility to teach our kids who to engage in this world when they’re in. I just won’t be the one opening that door.