GoKawiilMIT scholar Sherry Turkle argues AI chatbots erode human connection in new book
MIT professor Sherry Turkle has published 'Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines,' departing from her usual academic tone to deliver a sharp warning about overreliance on AI chatbots as substitutes for human relationships. Turkle says interviews conducted during the pandemic revealed people preferring chatbot companionship over real-world engagement, including withdrawal from politics and family life. She frames the book as an alarm-raising work in the tradition of texts like Silent Spring.