In the Big Apple, Green was dealing with a breakup. It was your typical split, nothing too crazy: just two folks who couldn’t see eye to eye, struggling to talk, and decided to call it quits. But then out of the blue, Green’s ex hit them up. The email itself wasn’t anything special. Green, a 29-year-old New Yorker, thought it was just your run-of-the-mill breakup letter, pointing out where things went wrong. But here’s the kicker: they agreed not to contact each other. So when Green told their ex they weren’t feeling the email or its vibe, things got interesting.
According to Green, the ex defended themselves by saying they ran the email through ChatGPT multiple times to make sure it wasn’t offensive. Green was shook. They were like, “ChatGPT doesn’t know squat about our relationship! How can it understand the context?” Green, who uses ChatGPT themselves sometimes, was first amused, then ticked off. It felt like their deep, personal connection had been reduced to a computer program’s opinion. Talk about impersonal, right?
Nowadays, AI is everywhere. It’s taken over jobs, stolen art, helped students cheat, and even radicalized some vulnerable folks. And get this, it might even play a role in deciding which drugs get approved. It’s a big deal. But what’s really wild is how people are now turning to AI to help them understand each other better. Whether they’re analyzing messages from potential baes, settling beef with friends, or trying to make peace with family, ChatGPT is the go-to for sorting out those human problems. And the users WIRED talked to? They’re low-key embarrassed about using a computer to work through their very human issues. Privacy is a big concern for them, too.
A shrink from Columbia University, Daniel Kimmel, warns about offloading emotional stuff to AI instead of humans. He says our friendships are built on real connections, not algorithms. Humans have been honing their emotional skills for ages, but AI? Not so much. It’s not about feelings, it’s about patterns and words, says Kimmel. Therein lies the rub: AI can’t tap into that deep, emotional stuff we humans can. It’s just not the same.
Kate, a 35-year-old in Denver, has been using ChatGPT to decode her relationships for a few months now. She got into it through work and figured, hey, why not give it a shot in her personal life? She’s had her fair share of heartbreak, and it’s left her a bit anxious in new relationships. So when things got rocky with a guy who had some baggage, she turned to ChatGPT for answers. She dumped all their texts into the program to get a rundown on their attachment styles, the good stuff, and even who was more into who. It was eye-opening. Kate even shared the deets with her gal pals. ChatGPT became her relationship therapist, analyzing her love life like a pro.
But here’s the thing: using AI for emotional stuff can be a double-edged sword. While it’s cool to have a digital confidante, it can also amp up anxiety. Kate sometimes spends hours typing away about her relationships, and her real therapist isn’t a fan. She thinks Kate should deal with her feelings head-on, not rely on a computer for answers. OpenAI, the brain behind ChatGPT, says the program is meant to be a handy tool, not a replacement for real therapy. They’re all about user safety and privacy, but Kate’s not the only one who’s thought about what could happen if all that personal data got out.
Andrew, a 36-year-old dude in Seattle, turned to ChatGPT after a rough patch with his fam. He’s not shouting his love for the program from the rooftops, but he’s not hiding it either. Therapy hasn’t been his jam, so ChatGPT is like a stand-in buddy he can vent to. After getting the “let’s just be friends” text from his then-girlfriend, he was lost. So he threw the message into ChatGPT to see if he really got dumped. Turns out, even AI was stumped. But for Andrew, it was a way to test the waters before diving into deep convos with his buds. And hey, at least ChatGPT won’t spill his secrets like some people do.
Using ChatGPT as a diary or middleman isn’t as taboo as it used to be. TikTok is full of peeps dishing out AI advice on texts, relationships, and more. Kate’s all about trying out new prompts from these videos. Recently, she saw one where you describe your dream life, and ChatGPT writes a detailed story about it. It’s like living out your fantasy, just without leaving your house. ChatGPT has become Kate’s digital confidante, a place where she can spill her guts without judgment. She’s scaling back a bit now, though, just like her human therapist suggested.
