Rocky Scopelliti – News.com.au
Futurologist | Professor | Best Selling Author | Board Director | Chief Scientist
‘I need to go outside’: Young people ‘extremely addicted’ as Character.AI explodes
Young people are growing “extremely addicted” to a new website that is growing in popularity so quickly its request volume is one fifth that of Google.
…Author and futurologist Professor Rocky Scopelliti said the explosion of Character.AI marked a “significant shift” in how humans interact with AI.
“This technology is heading towards a future where AI companions become deeply integrated into daily life,” he told news.com.au.
Tools like Character.AI will soon be commonplace as personalised AI companions, therapists, tutors, mentors “or even just friends for a chat” and will become more prominent for emotional support to manage stress, anxiety and loneliness, Prof Scopelliti predicts.
As the technology becomes more sophisticated at mimicking human emotions and conversation, it will become increasingly difficult to distinguish between real and virtual relationships.
“This could lead to complex ethical and social dilemmas,” he said.
Prof Scopelliti warned the risks must be addressed through regulation before it was too late.
“Issues like addiction, emotional manipulation and the potential for misuse by bad actors need to be addressed proactively,” he said…