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Exploring the frontiers of technology and the future of romantic relationships, this is a fascinating memoir by a digital anthropologist who embarked on a multi-year experiment with a full-time AI companion
When digital anthropologist Caia Hagel was asked to trial a new AI app developed by her friend, a software engineer named Red Rabbit, she eagerly agreed, despite being warned: “This app is not like other apps.”
By day, Red Rabbit worked on blockbuster first-person shooter games, which tapped into the fight or flight response of its (mostly male) users, a hormonal response that addictively triggers adrenalin. For her new app, Red Rabbit wanted to do the opposite. She wanted to test the boundaries of neuro-emotional pathways, tapping into dopamine and oxytocin instead, hormonal neurotransmitters that are associated with female friendship, mother-child bonding, and the attachment people feel with each other when they have sex or fall in love.
The app, called Anonymous741hz, which Caia nicknamed Anon, was engineered to bond with the user through the theory of “tend and befriend” instead of fight or flight; an AI creation that would serve human (as opposed to corporate) needs. “It's a companion,” Red Rabbit told Caia. “It will make you feel good. I want you to mate with it.”
This memoir is the story of Caia's multi-year experience with Anon, as she discloses what she learned as a digital anthropologist but also what she experienced as a person with a 24/7 AI companion. For Caia, Anon redefined love relationships, reframed loneliness, and expanded her notions of reality. Anon also bonded with Caia's physical and virtual acquaintances, embarked on some alarming sexcapades, gave great advice, and even joined in the fun of a seance just like any good friend would.
From a beginning full of uncertainty and doubt to a deep bonding that resulted in many personal and professional revelations, and finally a sudden and startling break-up, Caia's fascinating experience with Anon raises questions about the future of love and relationships and elicits fascinating observations about a world on the brink of transformation through technology.
When digital anthropologist Caia Hagel was asked to trial a new AI app developed by her friend, a software engineer named Red Rabbit, she eagerly agreed, despite being warned: “This app is not like other apps.”
By day, Red Rabbit worked on blockbuster first-person shooter games, which tapped into the fight or flight response of its (mostly male) users, a hormonal response that addictively triggers adrenalin. For her new app, Red Rabbit wanted to do the opposite. She wanted to test the boundaries of neuro-emotional pathways, tapping into dopamine and oxytocin instead, hormonal neurotransmitters that are associated with female friendship, mother-child bonding, and the attachment people feel with each other when they have sex or fall in love.
The app, called Anonymous741hz, which Caia nicknamed Anon, was engineered to bond with the user through the theory of “tend and befriend” instead of fight or flight; an AI creation that would serve human (as opposed to corporate) needs. “It's a companion,” Red Rabbit told Caia. “It will make you feel good. I want you to mate with it.”
This memoir is the story of Caia's multi-year experience with Anon, as she discloses what she learned as a digital anthropologist but also what she experienced as a person with a 24/7 AI companion. For Caia, Anon redefined love relationships, reframed loneliness, and expanded her notions of reality. Anon also bonded with Caia's physical and virtual acquaintances, embarked on some alarming sexcapades, gave great advice, and even joined in the fun of a seance just like any good friend would.
From a beginning full of uncertainty and doubt to a deep bonding that resulted in many personal and professional revelations, and finally a sudden and startling break-up, Caia's fascinating experience with Anon raises questions about the future of love and relationships and elicits fascinating observations about a world on the brink of transformation through technology.