Life Imitating Art: When Ideas From Science Fiction Movies Become Real Technology Companies
Replika and "The AI Companion"
If you consider yourself a futurist, which is someone who takes interest in predicting the future or exploring what’s possible, then you’ve also probably been intrigued by science fiction movies at one point or another.
Futuristic depictions of what tomorrow could look like spark curiosity, intrigue, excitement, and concern, all at the same time.
Movies like Ex Machina, Minority Report, and The Matrix are all among my favorites because they teeter on the line of what the future could hold and what the consequences could mean.
Another movie I really enjoyed was Her, a film from 2013 with Joaquin Phoenix that portrays a not-too-distant future where artificial intelligence starts intertwining with everyday human relationships. Without ruining it for you, I’ll simply say that the main character forms a unique relationship with technology in a way that society (in the movie) doesn’t fully acknowledge but also doesn’t entirely forbid.
The reason that this movie resonated with me is because the applications of artificial intelligence that were presented in the film weren’t too far off from what’s possible already.
Search and recommendation engines have existed for decades. Conversational technology that was previously limited to basic outputs for every input now is much more advanced.
Today, with people isolated from their families and not able to enjoy traditional social activities like work-place dynamics or group outings, it can be easy to lose a sense of connectedness. Social psychologists, therapists, and experts alike cite the mental health toll that often comes along with isolation.
Because of how widespread this problem can become, I’ve gained an interest in understanding how technology can augment people’s social and communication habits. I was recently introduced to one tool that truly looks like a game-changer.
It’s called Replika.
Replika is an artificial intelligence chatbot that enables anyone to share thoughts, opinions, and emotions with the digital avatar while receiving contextual and customized responses. It’s like the movie Her, without Scarlett Johansson’s voice.
The company’s technology is really good. I tested it out because I’ve long been disappointed by most chatbots and yet I’ve found Replika’s functionality to be extremely impressive, with smart inferences and learning adaptations. Seriously, give it a shot.
Since I can see that you are still a little skeptical, I’ll share a few stats. Replika has millions of users, it’s in the top 25 of health and fitness apps on Apple’s App Store, and has been featured in countless publications like Wired, The New York Times, Forbes, and others.
The company sadly was founded when the founders were trying to find ways to communicate with a friend who had passed away. They had a trove of text messages from their late friend that was sent to friends and family members. They created an algorithm that analyzed his word selection, tone, and communication style, and then allowed people to send messages so they could hear back from their late friend as if he was still around.
Fast forward many months and the Replika team found that people wanted the capability to chat with an AI bot and vent about their problems, share confessions, and just talk. So they built a version for everyone.
The product was born. Now the platform can do numerous innovative things like use voice, leverage vision inputs (photos) for communicating, and so much more.
While Replika is one of many examples of life imitating art, I find this to be appropriate for the times we are living in. Yes, I can imagine some drawbacks resulting from increased human-to-machine interaction, but I think it’s too early to dismiss this as a bad innovation. What are your thoughts?
Have you ever used chatbots? If so, for what? Is Replika something you would consider trying?