GoKawiilMIT researcher Sherry Turkle explores why humans treat AI as sentient in new book 'Artificial Intimacy'
At MIT's Future Fest, longtime MIT faculty member Sherry Turkle discussed her new book examining why people instinctively anthropomorphize robots and chatbots. She notes that even brief exchanges with 'relational artifacts' make people feel cared for, prompting them to reciprocate that care. The piece also recounts a TechCrunch reporter's visit to MIT's CSAIL lab, where $50,000 Unitree humanoid robots drew similarly instinctive, human-like greetings from visitors.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Turkle's research suggests that as AI systems become more conversational and lifelike, human tendencies toward empathy and social reciprocity could shape how people trust, rely on, or form attachments to these tools, regardless of their actual sentience. This could have implications for how AI companies design products meant to feel 'relational,' and for how society navigates emotional dependence on non-sentient systems.
- Studies cited show roughly 70% of people are polite to AI, often saying 'please' or 'thank you.'
- MIT's Sherry Turkle has studied human-computer relationships since the 1970s and just launched a book, 'Artificial Intimacy.'
- Humanoid robots like Unitree's, costing around $50,000, are prompting instinctive human-like social responses from observers.
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Published there as: “We can’t help treating AI like it’s human. But should we?”
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