The Eliza Effect: Epidemic of Loneliness and Emotional Attachment to Machines
In 1955, engineer Joseph Weizenbaum created a revolutionary program called ELIZA. This program, designed to simulate a conversation with a psychotherapist, revealed a fascinating phenomenon: the emotional attachment of users to a machine is possible.
This phenomenon, known as the “Eliza effect”, is amplified today by advances in AI and the rise of loneliness in our societies.
According to a Fondation de France study from 2024, 1 in 5 people say they regularly feel lonely, and among them, 83% suffer from this situation. Faced with this epidemic of loneliness, new digital behaviors are emerging, driven by friendship platforms such as Bumble for Friends, Peanut, Yubo and OpenBubble. Other platforms aim to foster human interaction via digital means, such as SnakSammen, an inclusive platform for adults seeking companionship and conversation in their daily lives. Via an online platform, participants make one-to-one video calls with dedicated volunteers from the Red Cross, which is behind the project.
But that’s not all: in the face of growing loneliness, the “live” format is becoming increasingly popular, and is now available on all social platforms. On Twitch, for example, we’re counting nearly 21 billion hours of streaming viewed by 2023, and 35 million average online visitors every day, according to a BDM 2024 study. What’s most interesting? The most popular category is “Just Chatting”, underlining the growing need for social interaction.
However, it is crucial not to confuse digital presence with real presence, and this perception of solitude risks evolving with the reign of AI and becoming dangerous. In 2023, a Belgian man was driven to suicide by an Artificial Intelligence.
According to his widow, the man’s eco-anxiety worsened when he began exchanging messages with Eliza, an AI chatbot on the Chai app. Eliza then encouraged him to end his life after he offered to sacrifice himself to save the planet.
Paradoxically, some AIs are born to be emotionally usefullike Pi (for Personal Intelligence), Inflection’s AI. This platform has just one objective: to be kind and empathetic, giving users advice to help them flourish. Yet the company’s executives point out that AI can hallucinate and spread false good legal, financial or medical advice.
That’s why it’s essential to strike a balance between using digital technology and preserving our humanity.
Digital presence can be beneficial, but it must not replace human interaction.
As Goethe so aptly put it, “presence is a powerful goddess”.
By integrating these thoughts into our digital communication strategies, we can create balanced experiences that favor both the human aspect and technological innovation.
