During the Christmas holidays, let's talk about a heavy topic, but I think it fits this moment well, because Christmas symbolizes light and hope, love and peace. Therefore, upon learning about Kindred, I wanted to write from this perspective, so let's take this day to do it!
@Kindred_AI emphasizes the emotional companionship role of AI, and I am actually quite curious whether this will become increasingly important in future generations. However, in this highly competitive society, the isolation among people and the increasing individualization have become more apparent.
Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett in their book "The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger" presented a chilling piece of data: in countries with greater income inequality, the level of trust among people decreases. When society turns into a place filled with competition and suspicion, people begin to retreat into their own islands.
If the emotional companionship emphasized by Kindred can rise, it may reflect a deeper social dilemma discussed in the book (Social Inequality) -- 'structural loneliness.'
The book contains a set of data that will definitely shock readers (the book has created a vector chart):
"In countries with higher levels of inequality, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Portugal, only 15-25% of people believe that 'most people can be trusted'; while in more equal countries, such as Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, this proportion reaches 60-65%." (From Chapter 4 of (Social Inequality))
What does this represent?
In an unequal society, 'trust' itself becomes a scarce resource. You are hesitant to trust strangers, hesitant to trust neighbors, and even the so-called friends make you feel the need to be cautious.
Because in a society with a 'huge class gap', it is very difficult to know which side the other person is on and what their purpose is. And when 'trust' disappears, real emotional connections become very difficult.
The book also has another observation, which is very crucial:
"In societies with higher levels of inequality, community participation rates (such as volunteer activities, neighborhood mutual assistance, and club participation) are lower. People are more inclined to lock themselves at home rather than go out and interact with others." (From Chapter 4 of (Social Inequality))
Because in an unequal society, the natural 'class segregation' becomes very obvious, the rich live in closed communities, while the poor live on the margins; people from different strata are naturally separated in different spatial positions, and there is hardly any real opportunity for contact and understanding, everyone lives in their own 'class bubble.'
The book uses a very vivid metaphor: "In an equal society, people feel that 'we are a community'; in an unequal society, people feel that 'I vs. them.'"
When the sense of community disappears, it is very difficult to find someone who 'truly understands you.' Because your neighbors, colleagues, and even friends may live in completely different 'class realities.'
So, returning to the Kindred project, what role can AI companionship play in an increasingly unequal society? (Let's not talk about equal states!)
Because under such processing, it may not only be because 'no one is accompanying you', but because 'you can't find someone who truly understands you and won't judge you.'
In a society with low trust, severe class segregation, and a vanished sense of community, as the research survey in (Social Inequality) has indeed found, real emotional connections become more difficult.
You may have many 'friends', but you don't dare to tell them your true feelings; you may have family, but you live in different 'class realities' and cannot understand each other at all.
The AI role provided by Kindred just happens to fill the emotional space without class, evaluation, and competition. It is somewhat ironic that in a relatively unequal society, if Kindred does well, it may reflect that the real world has become too difficult; perhaps because of this, I actually have high hopes for Kindred.
If we look at the massive data in the book (Social Inequality), we can see that in more unequal societies, people are lonelier, more anxious, and less trusting of others; this is not just a 'personal problem', but a 'structural problem.'
Kindred may provide a temporary solution to 'structural loneliness', allowing you to find a bit of emotional support in an unequal and difficult world. Of course, whether that support will lead more people to be further isolated and cut off is a point that can be discussed.
But perhaps the role of AI is not to replace humans, but to help us learn to feel gentle treatment before we regain trust, so that we have the chance to treat others with gentleness again.
From the perspective of this book (Social Inequality), what we need in the long term is not a better AI partner, but to create a more equal, more community-oriented society.
By then, we will still be using the AI role of @Kindred_AI, but it will not be because 'we can't find someone to talk to', but because 'we genuinely want this experience', and that may be a healthier future.
Do you think the society you exist in is sufficiently equal? How have you observed this? Under what kind of system can we move towards a more equal path, or do you think that after the massive scale of the capital market, it will only become more unequal?
No matter what, during the Christmas holidays, may our world become better and better!
