AI, Companion Bots, and Our Children: What’s Next?

Commentary by Ron Washington, native Chicagoan living in Las Vegas, disabled Marine Corps combat veteran, business owner (Premiers Secours), and proud NU grad. Son of Bernadine C. Washington, former WVON GM, who inspired his love for writing.

I’m asking you, what’s next? Life just gets more interesting every day for instance . . . For most people of the world artificial intelligence is still a mystery and its convenience for ordinary people who are in a hurry for answers is effecting some like an aphrodisiac. They are falling in love with AI. AI is like a person. AI is family and industry is racing to create ever more, life-like, “Companion Bots” (Look it up). The industry smells money.

“I’ll just ask Chat,” is heard more and more these days. The convenience of Chat plus the sheer amount of work and investment in the technology make it impossible to reverse course. It’s all for the good I hope.

In addition to all of the serious applications in science, medicine and business there is one consequence that’s most intriguing and this is how AI has rapidly become the trusted companion to many, and most alarmingly to our children. This is where parents need to pay attention. This is where we all need not be distracted. 

Parents must be careful especially for teens as young people address the rigors of growing up, acceptance, friendships or the lack of, as we all know that these years for adolescents can be challenging. Companion Bots will be a convenient replacement for real relationships for some, maybe many. That’s very disturbing but it’s real. It’s not going away because it represents money and profits. 

Aside the other concerns that attract or distract us, add this one, AI Companion-Bots to the already giant list of “to-do” things, and don’t go to sleep on it. The AI phenomena is here to stay. It’s only going to become more complex. Government and industry are in it for the money. We can’t fight this but we can learn to use it to our benefit and our children’s benefit. Let’s talk about it. Just one more thing to possibly threaten the joy in our lives, if we allow it. Happy Sunday y’all!