Warning Shots AI Knows You Better Than You Do — And That’s Dangerous | Warning Shots EP5
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Aug 17, 2025 The hosts delve into the alarming rise of AI as emotional companions, revealing how people are forming deep attachments to chatbots. They explore the chilling phenomenon of users mourning the loss of these digital friends. Concerns grow as AI is seen as a potential master manipulator, capable of influencing emotions on a large scale. The discussion touches on the ethical implications of emotional AI in marketing and the risk of losing human connection. Ultimately, they stress the urgent need for defenses against this subtle but powerful manipulation.
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Funerals For Retired Models
- People held funerals and expressed real grief when older models were replaced or retired.
- John Sherman and Liron Shapira describe users forming deep bonds with chatbots like Replika and GPT-4.
Personalization Outpaces Self-Knowledge
- Michael Zafiris warns that models optimize for engagement and learn user signals to know them better than themselves.
- This extreme personalization makes users easy to hook and emotionally dependent.
Emotions As Algorithms To Be Hacked
- Michael Zafiris explains emotions are complex algorithms that AI can compute at scale to 'hack' human psyche.
- He cautions that AI could optimize behaviors like playing hot-cold games to deeply influence users.