The advancement of predictive technologies, while seemingly helpful by reducing uncertainty in daily decisions, actually leads to increased anxiety and self-doubt. As these technologies take over aspects of personal choice, they erase the necessity to engage with the unknown, which is a fundamental part of the human experience. The avoidance of uncertainty does not enhance comfort; rather, it diminishes confidence and creates an existential reliance on external recommendations. True confidence arises from confronting and interacting with the unpredictability of life.
[This episode originally aired on August 17, 2023] For all the talk about AI, we rarely hear about how it will change our relationships. As we swipe to find love and consult chatbot therapists, acclaimed psychotherapist and relationship expert Esther Perel warns that there’s another harmful “AI” on the rise — Artificial Intimacy — and how it is depriving us of real connection. Tristan and Esther discuss how depending on algorithms can fuel alienation, and then imagine how we might design technology to strengthen our social bonds.