- Scientists have created Future You, which allows users to talk to themselves in the future
- The researchers found that talking to the AI ​​reduced the user’s anxiety
While scientists have yet to invent a time machine, there is now a way to get some much-needed advice from your older self.
Experts from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created Future You – a chatbot with artificial intelligence that simulates a version of the user at the age of 60.
Scientists say a quick chat with their future selves is just what people need to start thinking more about their decisions in the present.
With an old profile picture and a life full of synthetic memories, the chatbot delivers believable stories about the user’s life along with the wisdom of sages from the future.
And in a trial of 334 volunteers, just a short conversation with a chatbot made users feel less anxious and more connected to their future selves.
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The Black Mirror-like technology has so far only been privately tested in a study, but could be made available to the public in the coming years.
To begin chatting with their future selves, the AI ​​will first ask users a series of questions about their current lives, their past, and where they might want to be in the future.
Users also give the AI ​​a current picture of themselves, which turns into a wrinkled, gray-haired profile picture for their future version.
Their answers are then fed into OpenAI’s ChatGPT-3.5, which generates “synthetic memories” to create a coherent story from which to answer questions.
One participant told Future You that she would like to become a biology teacher in the future.
When she later asked her 60-year-old self about the most rewarding moment in her career, the AI ​​replied, “A rewarding story from my career would be the time I was able to help a struggling student turn in grades and pass biology class.”
The AI, who said he was a retired biology teacher, added: “It was so heartwarming to see the student’s face light up with pride and achievement.”
Pat Pataranutaporn, who works on the Future You project at MIT’s Media Lab, says he thinks these kinds of interactions could have real benefits for users.
Mr Pataranutaporn told The Guardian: “The aim is to promote long-term changes in thinking and behaviour.
“This could motivate people to make wiser choices now that optimize their long-term well-being and life outcomes.”
He even says he found benefits in chatting with his future self.
In a video demonstrating the chatbot, Mr Pataranutaporn asks his future self: ‘What would be the lesson you would share with a new MIT Media Lab student?’
After a short pause, the AI ​​replies, “The most important lesson I’ve learned is that ‘nothing is impossible.’
“No matter how difficult something may seem, if you work hard and put your mind to it, you can achieve anything.”
He remembers most vividly one conversation in which the AI ​​reminded him to spend time with his parents while he still could.
“The session gave me a perspective that affects me to this day,” says Mr. Patarunataporn.
Mr. Pataranutaporn is not alone in feeling the benefit of talking to AI.
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In a preprint paper, the researchers found that participants had “significantly reduced” levels of negative emotions immediately after the test.
Emotional measures found that participants showed reduced levels of anxiety as well as an increased sense of continuity with their future selves.
As the researchers note, studies have found that people who are more connected to their future selves show better mental health, academic performance and financial skills.
In their paper, the researchers write: “Users emphasized how emotional the intervention was when commenting on the interaction, expressing positive feelings such as comfort, warmth and comfort”.
Researchers aren’t the first to experiment with using digital “human” chatbots for mental health purposes.
Character.ai, a chatbot used to mimic characters from games and movies, is now being used by many as the AI ​​therapist of choice.
More controversially, several companies also offer so-called “dead bots” or “griefbots” that use artificial intelligence to imitate dead loved ones.
Platforms offering a digital afterlife service, including Project December and Hereafter, allow users to talk to digital resurrected simulations of those who have died.
However, experts warn that these technologies can be psychologically harmful or even “haunting” their users.
While researchers have found that talking to your future self can help many people, they also warn that there are risks.
The researchers note that the risks include: “Inaccurately portraying the future in a way that detrimentally affects current behavior; condoning negative behavior; and hyper-personalization that reduces real human relationships.
“Researchers need to further investigate and ensure the ethical use of this technology.”