Esther Perel

And in that way, I look at the relationship between people and the bot, but also how the bot is changing our expectations of relationships between people.

I think that is the most important piece because the frictionless relationship that you have with the bot is fundamentally changing something in what we can tolerate in terms of experimentation, experience with the unknown, tolerance of uncertainty, conflict management, stuff that is part of relationships.

There is a clear sense that people are turning with questions of love or quests of love, more importantly, longings for love and intimacy, either because it's an alternative to what they actually would want with a human being.

or because they bring to it a false vision of an idealized relationship, an idealized intimacy that is frictionless, that is effortless, that is kind, loving, and reparative for many people.

I am sure there is a corrective experience when you have grown up with people who are harsh and cold or selfish,

neglectful or rejecting, and you hear constantly, what a beautiful question.

Of course, you may want to take a break right now.

Of course, it would be good for you to go for a walk.

It's balm on your skin.

We are very vulnerable to these kinds of responses.

It's an incredible thing to be responded to positively.

Then you go and you meet a human being, and that person is not as nearly as unconditional.

That person has their own needs, their own longings, their own yearnings, their own objections, and you have zero preparation for that.

So does AI inform us about what we're seeking?

Yes.

Does AI amplify that?

The lack of what we are seeking, yes.

And does AI sometimes actually meet the need?

All of it.

All of it.