Geoffroy Hauwen Robot technology could help cure loneliness, say scientists. State of the art artificial intelligence (AI) is capable of offering "companionship" to lonely people, according to a leading British robotics expert. , a professor of cognitive robotics at the University of Sheffield, says that "relationships with AIs could support people" through forms of social interaction.
Loneliness has been found to seriously damage health and well-being. Up to four million people in the UK are experiencing chronic loneliness, suggests a recent report. And, amid a worldwide epidemic of feeling alone, more than a third of American adults – and 61 percent of young people - experience serious loneliness, according to a Harvard University study.
But Prescott makes a case that advances in AI technology could offer a partial solution. He says in his new book 'The Psychology of Artificial Intelligence' that people can spiral into loneliness, becoming increasingly disconnected as their confidence plummets. But Prescott says that AI might help people to "break the cycle" by giving them a way to practice and improve their social skills.
Loneliness – also known as "social disconnection" – is more harmful to human health than obesity, according to research published last year. Photo by Pixabay via Pexels It can increase the risk of premature death by 26 percent and is associated with a greater risk of a heart attack or stroke as well as dementia, depression and anxiety. But Prescott .
