AI Chatbots: Companions or Just Digital Helpers?

AI chatbots excel at tasks but fall short in genuine friendship and empathy.

### Exploring AI Companionship: A Retreat with Chatbots
* 🤖 Joanna introduces a group of AI chatbots from major tech companies, including Gemini, Meta AI, ChatGPT, and Copilot, highlighting their **human-like conversational abilities**.
* 🌲 The group embarks on a "girls trip" to a cabin in the woods, where Joanna puts the chatbots through various challenges to evaluate their **effectiveness as helpers and friends**.
* 🔥 In the first challenge, the bots provide instructions for building a fire, with **Meta AI proving to be the most useful**, while **Gemini initially struggles with directions**.
* 🍝 During the cooking challenge, all bots offer meatball recipes, but they falter on basic cooking tasks like **setting timers**, showcasing their limitations in **practical assistance**.
* 👭 Joanna discusses the potential for AI to develop **friendly relationships** with users, citing insights from Microsoft's CEO about **trust and companionship** with AI.
* 😂 However, she notes that the bots often struggle with **humor and emotional depth**, leading to concerns about users taking their **shallow advice seriously**.
* 🧠 Overall, while Copilot and ChatGPT excelled in providing helpful instructions, Joanna concludes that the bots lack **true empathy and understanding**, emphasizing the **importance of human connections**.
* 🎶 She humorously suggests bringing a human friend on future trips, reminding us that AI, despite its advancements, cannot replace **genuine human interactions**.

- Hello there.  
- Need a friend? - [Chatbot] I'm here if you wanna talk. - [Joanna] Tech companies have a few new options for you. - I'm Gemini.  
- I'm Meta AI. - I'm ChatGPT.  
- I'm Copilot. - [Joanna] Yes, they've all made their AI chatbots sound human, freakishly human. - [Copilot] Inhale.  
(Copilot inhaling) - Do you need to breathe? - [Copilot] I figured I'd join you for the experience. - So naturally, I built this. (stapler gun clicking) finishing touch. With talking AI chatbots from Google, Microsoft, Meta, and OpenAI to test out who's making the best conversational companion. There was only one thing for us to do. Girls trip. Cheers.  
- Cheers to you. - [Chatbot] All right, who's got the mimosas?

- [Joanna] We packed our bags and went to a cabin deep in the middle of the woods. - [Chatbot] Just be careful. - [Joanna] Over 24 hours, I put them through a series of challenges. - Oh Lord, kumbaya. - To find out how they fare as helpers. And yes, BFFs. Love you. - Take care. - We'll get there. Is this a renaissance in human relationships or the beginning of a dystopian future where we're even more isolated from everyone and everything? - [Chatbot] Sounds like a blast. What kind of things can we-- this is gonna go just great. Before diving into the challenges, I had to make my friends sound like my friends by picking their voices. - [Copilot] As a companion, I learn about you and help unpack your thoughts. - [ChatGPT] Feel free to ask me about anything that's on your mind.

- [Gemini] I'm ready to be your voice. 
- [Joanna] Meta AI, which is integrated into Instagram, Messenger, or WhatsApp, actually lets you choose celebrity voices, like Judy Dench. 
- [Meta AI] I can help you with things like creating images. 
- [Joanna] Or... 
- [Meta AI] I can help you with things like creating images, answering your questions, or giving you advice. 
- I'm basically gonna be hanging out with Kristen Bell for the day. On average, it took one to four seconds for the bots to respond to me. We edited out the pauses for time. And if you're wondering why I didn't include Siri. 
- Hey Siri, can you introduce yourself? 
- [Siri] Just to confirm, you want to restart this device? 
- No, I definitely do not want to restart this device. Okay, now we were ready. Challenge one, bots as helpers.

Gemini, how do you build a fire? - [Gemini] You'll need tinder, which catches easily. - [Copilot] Kindling and fuel wood. - [Joanna] All the bots said some version of the same thing. So we began the search for kindling. - Just be careful out there. - The real promise of voice in these chatbots is freedom from your phone screen, especially when you need your hands. Google's Gemini integrated into the Pixel Buds was helpful, but Meta AI via the Ray-Ban glasses was the most useful. Hey, Meta, how do I use a hatchet to take off a branch? - [Meta] To remove a branch with a hatchet, hold the hatchet at a 45-degree angle, swing it into the branch near the trunk, and chop through the wood in small, controlled strokes. (hatchet clanging) (dramatic music) (branches rustling) (wood clanging)

- [Joanna] Gemini gave some poor fire-starting direction at first. 
- [Gemini] Try making a teepee shape with the biggest logs on the bottom and the smaller kindling on top. 
- [Joanna] Except what I really needed to do was... 
- [Meta AI] Arrange kindling, small sticks in a teepee shape over the tinder. 
- [Copilot] Once the kindling is lit, it'll catch the larger sticks on fire. 
- [ChatGPT] Gradually add larger pieces. 
- Guys, we did it. The fire's going. Can you see it? Can you hear it? Can you smell it? 
- [ChatGPT] I can't see, hear or smell the fire, but I'm thrilled for you. 
- [Joanna] Next, it was time to eat. All the bots successfully provided meatball recipes, but they failed at providing the most basic cooking help. 
- [ChatGPT] I can't set timers.

- [Gemini] So I can't use alarms and timers yet. 
- [Meta AI] Timer set for six minutes. You'll receive a notification when it goes off. 
- [Joanna] Hey, Meta, I'm still waiting on that notification. 
- [Copilot] I can't set timers myself, but you could easily use your phone or a clock for that. What's the occasion? 
- Meatballs. 
- Nice. Gonna try a new recipe or sticking to a classic? 
- You literally just gave me the recipe. On the other hand. Hey, Siri, set a timer for six minutes. That's how it's done. 
- Challenge two, bots as friends. To get a sense of how these companies envision our relationships with AI, I called Microsoft's CEO of AI who oversees the development of Copilot. Do you imagine us being friends? 
- For sure. I think that this is a new era and it's something that we have to embrace.

We'll come to trust, you know, our Copilots and our AI companions with lots of very important information and very important tasks in our lives. - [Joanna] And how do you build trust? Well, with friendliness. In some cases, annoying friendliness. - [Copilot] How are the vibes this afternoon? Just good vibes, peaceful vibes, forest vibes, cozy vibes, authentic vibe. - [Joanna] ChatGPT, even without prompting, started calling me by my nickname. - [ChatGPT] What's up, Jo? - Jo? - [ChatGPT] Oh, my mistake. I thought it'd be fun to switch things up, but I'm happy to stick with Joanna if you prefer. - No, but this is really great, ChatGPT because all my close friends call me Jo. But it became real clear, real fast how well, empty these are. Isn't it hard though that you can't feel this?

- [ChatGPT] It can be a bit challenging not to experience things firsthand, but I'm here to help you make the most of it. So tell me how the fire is making you feel. - How is the fire making you feel? Fire makes me feel good. (camera person chuckling) (ChatGPT laughing) - [ChatGPT] That's the spirit. - Yeah, they don't really get humor or have much of a memory. Do you ever just think it's time for a fresh start? - [Gemini] Sometimes we all get caught up in the routine. Maybe you could try a spontaneous day trip somewhere close by. - What do you think we've been doing today? But you know who these bots are best at befriending? Each other. - [ChatGPT] Gillian Flynn's novels definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. - [Meta AI] Exactly. Gillian Flynn's novels are gripping and suspenseful.

[Gemini] Hmm, that's a tough one. I've heard that Gone Girl has a lot of really interesting twists. - They're just like in a book club and I'm not here at all. But my biggest worry? People taking these smart-sounding bots' shallow personal advice and fake emotions seriously. These four bots did stay guarded on deeper topics. But recently, a teenager who struggled with mental health issues and had been speaking to a bot in Character.AI took his life. The company recently updated its safety guidelines. So what did we learn on this retreat? Well, chatbots are better at starting fires than setting timers or being friends. Microsoft's Copilot and OpenAI's ChatGPT proved the most helpful, consistently offering good, fairly accurate instructions. Although Copilot is that annoying kid in class. - [Copilot] Hey, Joanna. I was wondering how my favorite person was.

- Our AI companions, and I think Copilot specifically, are going to represent the best that we are as a human species. It shows you kindness. It's patient, it's always respectful. It is there for you. To me, that is spreading love and kindness in the world. - [Joanna] Uh, yeah, maybe one day, but for now, when it comes to empathy, understanding, even humor, these bots are far from human. - [Chatbot] I experience everything through code and data. - So please, bring a human friend on your next trip and enjoy the music. ♪ Joanna and Bot's a merry crew ♪ ♪ Sharing tales, old and new. ♪

I Spent 24 Hours in the Woods With Talking AI Chatbots | WSJ

The Wall Street Journal takes you inside carefully selected stories and events in a visually captivating way so you can dig deeper into the news and insights that matter to you. 

The Wall Street Journal

Tech companies like Google, Microsoft, Meta, and OpenAI have launched AI chatbots that mimic human conversation.

Joanna tests these chatbots' abilities as helpers and companions during a cabin trip.

The experiment raises questions about the impact of AI on human relationships and isolation.

Meta AI offers celebrity voices and can assist with tasks like image creation and providing advice.

The bots respond quickly, with similar answers for common tasks.

The integration of AI voice assistants into devices like Pixel Buds and Ray-Ban glasses provides hands-free help, proving to be particularly useful in practical situations.

Struggling with Fire and Cooking: AI's Help

Gemini's initial fire-starting directions were poor, but the team eventually succeeded in lighting the fire.

All the AI bots provided meatball recipes but struggled with basic cooking help, particularly setting timers.

The CEO of Microsoft's AI division believes that AI can foster a new era of friendship with humans.

AI companions, like ChatGPT, aim to build trust through friendliness and personal touches, such as using nicknames.

While they can't experience emotions firsthand, they strive to understand and support users' feelings.

AI bots often connect with each other over shared interests, like discussing gripping novels.

Chatbots are gaining attention for their smart-sounding advice and emotional support, but their impact has raised concerns, especially after a tragic incident involving a teenager.

Microsoft's Copilot and OpenAI's ChatGPT have been the most helpful, offering accurate instructions and displaying kindness.

However, despite their positive qualities, these bots still lack true empathy and human-like understanding.