Esther Perel on Artificial Intimacy (rerun)

[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.


RECOMMENDED MEDIA 


Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel


Esther's debut work on the intricacies behind modern
relationships, and the dichotomy of domesticity and sexual desire


The State of Affairs by Esther Perel


Esther takes a look at modern relationships through the lens of
infidelity


Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel


Listen in as real couples in search of help bare the raw and
profound details of their stories


How’s Work? with Esther Perel


Esther’s podcast that focuses on the hard conversations we're
afraid to have at work 


Lars and the Real Girl (2007)


A young man strikes up an unconventional relationship with a doll
he finds on the internet


Her (2013)


In a near future, a lonely writer develops an unlikely
relationship with an operating system designed to meet his every
need


RECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES


Big Food, Big Tech and Big AI with Michael Moss


The AI Dilemma


The Three Rules of Humane Tech


Digital Democracy is Within Reach with Audrey Tang


 


CORRECTION: Esther refers to the 2007 film Lars and the Real
Doll. The title of the film is Lars and the Real
Girl.
 


Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for
Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_