Liberty Vittert warns of AI girlfriends worsening loneliness in young American men.
AI companions offer tailored experiences, replacing the need for real relationships.
Data analyst John Prowell criticizes Vittert’s speculative approach to the issue.
Recently, Liberty Vittert, Professor of the Practice of Data Science at WashU Olin Business School, raised concerns about the impact of AI girlfriends on an entire generation of young men, particularly in the American community.
Vittert tweeted, “AI girlfriends are ruining an entire generation of young men,” urging the community to discover the real facts behind the dating phenomenon.
AI girlfriends are ruining an entire generation of young men. Find out the real facts behind the dating phenomenon https://t.co/blO3du9rfN
— Liberty Vittert (@LibertyVittert) September 26, 2023
In her opinion piece, Vittert discussed the rise of virtual artificial intelligence (AI) girlfriends and their role in exacerbating the silent epidemic of loneliness among young men. These AI girlfriends, available through various apps, offer companionship, customization of physical attributes, and personalities that cater to users’ preferences.
Also, Vittert noted that AI-based entities learn from user interactions, providing tailored experiences that appeal to individual desires. She presented statistics that over 60% of young men between 18 and 30 are single, compared to 30% of women in the same age group.
Moreover, the professor argued one in five men reported not having a single close friend, a number that has quadrupled over the past three decades. Vittert believes the preference for AI girlfriends over real relationships with women could have dire consequences for America’s future.
Meanwhile, prominent data analyst John Prowell expressed disappointment in the report, describing it as a speculative approach that lacked a rigorous scientific basis. Prowell argued that correlation does not imply causation and criticized the piece for relying on anecdotal evidence rather than established scientific methods.
Correlation isn't necessarily causation, and I'm disappointed that you took the easy path trying to prove your points versus using established scientific method to illustrate facts. This is an extrememly speculative piece more worthy of a reddit post than intelligent discourse.
— John Prowell (@jprowell) September 26, 2023
Besides, he claimed the piece might be more suited for a Reddit post than an intelligent discourse.
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