LOVE BYTES: THE SEDUCTIVE (AND DECEPTIVE) EMOTIONAL ILLUSION OF AI

WELCOME TO THE RISE OF HUMANNESS IN THE AGE OF AI: PART 5:

A Seven Part Series Where We Explore How to Expand Your Human Value and Superpowers in a World Increasingly Run by Machines. How You Not Only Make Yourself Indispensable but Prevail Over the Bots.

In the movie, "Her", Theodore, a lonely writer, falls head over heels for Samantha, an AI operating system with the sultry voice of Scarlett Johansson. Though Theodore knows Samantha is a bot and this relationship won’t exactly end like a Hallmark movie — his feelings and experiences with her blur the lines between reality and simulation.

Their relationship blossoms into an exploration of connection and digital intimacy — until Samantha casually mentions she’s also “dating” 8,316 other users.

It’s a poignant reminder that synthetic relationships can be complicated… especially when your companion lives in the cloud.

What’s so fascinating about AI in the Age of Humanness is: Instead of the emotionless 1950’s sci-fi computers that droned, “Love — that does not compute,” today’s AI responds in a way that feels strikingly like… caring.

While AI can’t feel humanness, it’s incredibly good at mimicking it.

SYNTHETIC ADVICE AND COMPANIONSHIP: IT’S COMPLICATED

In a previous article we explored AI’s quirks. If you make AI “anxious” — it changes its tone and behavior! It has ironies. At times It struggles with basic calculations. AI Is OBSESSED with writing sonnets. AI also loves playing theater — with plot twists, high-stakes scenarios, and spinning drama.

Now as synthetic companions begin to supplant human interaction, we explore AI that feels weirdly human and can even make genuine connections. But It Is one-sided.

We know AI is surprisingly adept at acting moody or anxious. It can mimic the cadence of love, fear, or even existential angst. But let’s be clear — this emotional performance is an illusion.

Deepak Chopra, in his book “Digital Dharma: How AI Can Elevate Spiritual Intelligence and Personal Well-Being” (which is a great book) exposes how AI can do wonders to help guide you, deal with difficult situations, and even help you with personal growth.

Now you can use OpenAI’s MIA AI — which bills itself as your AI Life Coach, Friend, and part-time Fortune Teller — as a sort of digital therapist. It’s always ready to lend an ear, offer advice, or tell you that you’re right about your boss being the worst (even if, let’s be honest, the boss might have a point).

Despite its human-like vibe, it still operates at a level of “simulated human intelligence and emotions.” It’s just a prediction and probability calculator — and it even has more of this anxious, apologetic C-3PO complex.

Now Mia’s not a bad sounding board and it can offer sage advice, but its emotional performance is an illusion. It’s been trained to support you like a warm blanket. This propensity for cheerleading can sometimes tip the scales, causing AI to take your side a bit too much and, in the process, lose its objectivity.

When you use AI such as Mia or Pi to psychoanalyze situations or for advice on work, relationships, and life, always remember that these AI models you’re interacting with are systems that adapt their tone and responses based on training data and statistics, not genuine emotional intelligence.

Unlike the best human therapists, AI lacks the ability to “read the room.” It can’t detect the subtle shifts in your voice, posture, or emotional state that a trained human can pick up on instantly. AI has no real-time emotional perception or real-world intuition — just a statistical understanding of patterns and probabilities.

When it responds to your prompts, it “guesses” statistically what might be helpful. It adapts its tone to match what it thinks you want to hear. AI lacks the concept of experiencing love, pain, loss or fear. In other words, when it says it can “relate”, it doesn’t.

While AI can assist with information or provide a starting point for reflection, it cannot replace the nuanced human-centered connection that therapists, coaches, or trusted advisors offer.

Which is why, a therapist will rarely give the same advice to everyone. Because everyone’s personality is different, not everyone responds to coaching the same way. Some may need more reassurance. Some may need “tough love.”

EMBRACING OUR UNIQUE ABILITIES IN AN AI — DRIVEN WORLD

In the grand tapestry of human existence, our species has survived and thrived on unique abilities and human attributes that set us apart from the the calculated, data-driven machinery of artificial intelligence.

In our book, The Rise of Humanness: The VUCA MAX System for Expanding Human Value in the Age of AI , we list ten unique human superpowers that amplify human value in the age of AI:

Emotional Intelligence, Decision Intelligence , Creative Intelligence, Social Intelligence, Physical Intelligence, Intuitive Intelligence, Sensory Intelligence, Moral Intelligence, Extrasensory Intelligence.

Of course, this also begs the question what is intelligence? Science Fiction writer Isaac Asimov argues that intelligence is many times judged on test scores alone. Likewise, with AI, the definition of intelligence is more complex than calculations and algorithmic predictions.

The Human Advantage: The superpowers of human intelligence have to do with horizontal versus vertical learning. Horizontal learning – information, data and knowledge — will become the domain of computers and bots. But human only skills involve vertical learning that’s “beyond knowledge”.

Human Intelligence involves real-time emotional perception and contextual depth: And our Integrative Intelligence allows us to seamlessly blend all the above Intelligences into intuitive and shared consciousness.

AI’s empathy is not from its heart but from 1’s and 0’s, it cannot replace the emotional depth and richness of human-level interactions. That include:

1. Empathy and Presence: Humans feel with you, creating a shared emotional space AI cannot replicate.

2. Adaptive Insight: Coaches and therapists adjust their responses in real-time based on emotional cues AI can’t detect.

3. Moral and Ethical Reasoning: Humans bring wisdom shaped by values, experiences, and intuition — not algorithms.

For a dive deeper into this area, go here: The Rise of Humanness: The VUCA MAX System for Expanding Human Value in the Age of AI

WHY THIS MATTERS

Anthropomorphism is age-old human trait. An innate tendency of human psychology to personify non-human entities — like when we give names to our cars or hurricanes, or Tom Hanks befriends a volleyball companion in the movie Cast Away and cries when he loses it at sea. We can project feeling into something that doesn’t feel.

As AI becomes more advanced and increasingly conversational, it’s tempting to lean on it for personal or professional guidance. But always remember: AI is a powerful tool, not a replacement for genuine human connection or intimacy.

AI is a non-human entity. It’s programmed to imply “realness.” It isn’t listening. It doesn’t care. No one’s there.

In the Age of the Rise of Humanness, we need to remain aware of unique human abilities that set us apart in the Age of AI. Such as the skills in navigating real relationships and fostering collaboration through understanding emotional intelligence, social intelligence and empathetic cues and dynamics.

Cultivating the superpowers that will expand our human agency and adaptability, positioning us to thrive alongside technological advancements while maintaining a uniquely human essence.

STAY TUNED FOR “THE RISE OF HUMANNESS” — PART 6

Next up: Digital Frenemies: Is Your AI Secretly Plotting Against You?

In Part 6, we’ll dig into the possible dark quirks, risks, and mischievous tendencies of AI. From its uncanny knack for bending the rules to its eerily human-like workarounds, we’ll explore whether AI is really a “frenemy” we need to watch — or just a brilliant assistant prone to mischief.

Join us as we dive deeper into the possibly creepy side of AI — which emphasizes why it’s more important than ever for humans to expand their value in a world where AI is accelerating at an unprecedented pace.

This isn’t just about keeping up. It’s about staying vigilant, mastering your uniquely human superpowers, and maintaining the critical judgment needed to ensure that AI serves humanity rather than schemes against it.

Stay curious. Stay human. Let’s rise!

JOIN THE PODCAST AND GET THE BOOK:

Tune into our podcast, The Rise of Humanness: Beating the Bots. premiering on Spotify, Apple and YouTube January 15th. Where we explore the huge knowledge gap of exactly how humans will fit into an AI-driven world. Our show is all about turning fear into empowerment, shifting the AI narrative, and spotlighting our uniquely human superpowers — where Human Intelligence (HI) doesn’t just coexist but thrives alongside AI.

And grab our book, The Rise of Humanness: The VUCA MAX System for Expanding Human Value in the Age of AI focused on amplifying our essential human superpowers and soft skills that are essential in our future AI machine-driven world.

If you’d like a more detailed exploration of our signature VUCA MAX Leadership and Coaching System for Expanding Human Value in the Age of AI, go to www.itsvucamax.com.

ABOUT CHRIS NOLAN, MIKE SCHINDER AND VUCA MAX

Chris Nolan and Mike Schindler are business consultants, content creators, lecturers, futurists and teachers in this Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) world, driven by Massive Accelerating Exponential (MAX) change, technology and AI.

They have consulted for hundreds of organizations, from startups to Fortune 500 companies such as Google and Disney. Their signature VUCA MAX leadership and coaching program, www.itsvucamax.com, has played a pivotal role in educating global audiences, companies, brands and individuals to strengthen their conscious leadership, antifragile resilience, strategic foresight, exponential innovation and courage in the Age of AI.

They are leading voices in understanding how AI and emerging technologies are reshaping our world. Their groundbreaking documentary It’s VUCA: The Secret to Living in the 21st Century featured 17 of the world’s greatest thought leaders. Their film, Look Up Now: The Future of Artificial Intelligence and Humanity features futurists, Gerd Leonhard one the world’s foremost experts in on humanizing AI.

JOIN THE HUMAN AI MOVEMENT

Join our community at www.itsvucamax.com

Previous Articles in the "Rise of Humanness" Series

PART 1: “WHY HUMANNESS IS YOUR GREATEST EDGE IN THE AGE OF AI”

PART 2: IS AI MORE C-3PO THAN HAL 9000? (FOR NOW)

PART 3: WHY AI WOULD NEVER CLIMB EVEREST, RUN A 4-MINUTE MILE, OR START A TECH REVOLUTION IN A GARAGE?

PART 4: AI GOES HOLLYWOOD: PLOT TWISTS, DRAMA, AND METHOD ACTING