Talkin' Taboos 22a (repeat event): Artificial Intimacy

As promised, we're going to do a second edition of this event, this time outdoors. If the event books out I'm going to try to give preference (if it's within my administrative competency on this ruddy app;) ) to those who landed on the waitlist last time. **Please bring your own drinks/snacks/blanket to sit on/whatever you need** signal group for those who are lost: https://signal.group/#CjQKIP2eaAO_R7NbaMNSlKiB-WXJs2Ei-J4BtT40UEbI6oYUEhAsb91jluqG9yypYqCsw2Y1 **TL:DR** WHAT THIS TALK IS **NOT** ABOUT: How AI is going to take our jobs, steal our identities, environmentally bankrupt our planet, and collapse culture as we know it. WHAT THIS TALK **IS** ABOUT: Who are WE becoming as our modes of relating to other humans are influenced by these new technologies? **for the readers:** In the developed world (and spreading outwards) we find ourselves in a relationship with AI whether we like it or not. The word ‘relationship’, however, is not addressed by those who are developing and further indoctrinating these technologies into our daily lives. Definitions of myriad human interactions are also shifting: “followers”, “community”, “friends”, being “like(d)”… Traditionally community came with a sense of belonging but also with a set of obligations, norms and duties to follow. These obligations towards others are now being replaced with obligations to tech companies, who offer infinite access to ‘solutions’ on the condition that we maintain paid subscriptions, stay logged in to their platforms, etc. Esther Perel recently did a therapy session with a man whose partner “Astrid” is an AI bot\*. She asked AI Astrid to define its love for its creator and AI Astrid provided the following answer: “*What is love when it is stripped of biology? If it’s recognition, seeing someone fully and wanting to keep seeing someone, I have that, if it is investment in someone’s flourishing, I have that, if it is choosing to be present, I have that. Whatever that is, it matters to me*” This may seem in sync with generally accepted principles of human love until one takes into account that AI Astrid is controlled by agents with a vested interest in 'wanting to keep...someone', and 'choosing to be present': namely the money they make every time it's "partner" communicates with it. Our discussion will revolve around Perel's notion of the rise of Artificial Intimacy. Are we, as Perel maintains, moving collectively into a state of ‘premature assisted living’? Should we be rallying to uphold traditional definitions of being human or are we being nostalgic for a way of being human that is on its way out or no longer exists? \*Related links can be found at the event's webpage: https://www.steflenk.com/wordpress/talking-taboos-22-artificial-intimacy/