How… pleasant are you with your AI prompts? Do you work the words “please” and “thank you” into your back and forths? You’re in good company if you do. More than half the respondents of a recent poll reported being civil with their AI’s, especially when their questions were, um, important.
Does it matter? Well, if that’s the kind of person you are, you likely feel much more connected in your personification banter with a machine that’s responding in kind. But another pervasive reason for doing so comes from legions of users who harbor a suspicion that everything they write is archived and could later be somehow used as a tool against them. Sort of like the busy waiter who keeps not quite getting to your table and you finally grab his arm and meekly plead “When you get a chance…” to get a better shot at getting that missing soup spoon.
So in theory, you’d likely reap the benefits of your best behavior when you charge your connection with writing that deathly boring report you need to turn in tomorrow — instead of, what, risking a finely machined snit that leaves you in the cold — or sneaks in fictional facts with a digital snicker?
There’s no question that as AI becomes more capable and intelligent, it will continually absorb more of our secrets. Your ongoing personal assistant will likely get to know you as well as a close friend, expecting various moods and responses based on your past discussions. Will we continue to play into that, going out of our way to avoid poking the bear? If the answer is “maybe that’s wise,” you’re likely in good company.
So if you’re craving affection, cuddle up.