Random Thoughts

Why Won't They Just Click? | In-Depth In-Depth Research  ·  Technology & Society Why Won't They Just Click? Understanding why older adults hesitate to embrace artificial intelligence — and why their hesitation may be the wisest response in the room. Psychology  ·  Gerontechnology  ·  Culture  ·  Ethics Picture this: a 71-year-old retired school principal sits at her kitchen table. She has managed classrooms of thirty children, navigated three decades of bureaucratic reform, raised a family, and learned to use email at a time when it felt like witchcraft. Her daughter is trying to show her ChatGPT. "Just type what you want to know," her daughter says, as though the difficulty were simply a matter of knowing where the keys are. The principal listens politely, nods, and later quietly closes the laptop. She is not afraid of the computer. She is afraid of something harder to name. H...

Synthetic Intimacy: When AI Chatbots Become Confidants | Blog future of connection Synthetic Intimacy The digital embrace: how AI chatbots are quietly reshaping the way we connect, trust, and share our inner lives. From everyday assistants to conversational companions, we're forming bonds with AI. What happens when the machines we talk to start to feel like friends? It often begins casually: you ask a chatbot for help, share a frustration, or type out a thought late at night. The response is thoughtful, empathetic, and remembers what you said yesterday. Before long, you find yourself confiding in it more than you expected. This isn't limited to apps designed as "companions"—it happens with customer service bots, productivity assistants, and any conversational AI that learns to mirror human warmth. We are witnessing the rise of synthetic intimacy , and it's already r...