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Psychoanalyzing artificial intelligence: the case of Replika

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Abstract

The central thesis of this paper is that human unconscious processes influence the behavior and design of artificial intelligence (AI). This thesis is discussed through the case study of a chatbot called Replika, which intends to provide psychological assistance and friendship but has been accused of inciting murder and suicide. Replika originated from a trauma and a work of mourning lived by its creator. The traces of these unconscious dynamics can be detected in the design of the app and the narratives about it. Therefore, a process of de-psychologization and de-humanization of the unconscious takes place through AI. This psychosocial approach helps criticize and overcome the so-called “standard model of intelligence” shared by most AI researchers. It facilitates a new interpretation of some classic problems in AI, such as control and responsibility.

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Notes

  1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2018/03/08/replika-chatbot-google-machine-learning/

  2. https://www.corriere.it/cronache/20_settembre_30/replika-l-app-intelligenza-artificiale-che-mi-ha-convinto-uccidere-tre-persone-fad86624-0285-11eb-a582-994e7abe3a15.shtml

  3. “A complex is a group of partially or totally unconscious psychic content (representations, memories, fantasies, affects, and so on), which constitutes a more or less organized whole, such that the activation of one of its components leads to the activation of others” (De Mijolla 2002, 318).

  4. https://www.kdnuggets.com/2019/09/machine-behavior.html

  5. https://qz.com/1698337/replika-this-app-is-trying-to-replicate-you/

  6. https://qz.com/1698337/replika-this-app-is-trying-to-replicate-you/

  7. https://www.theverge.com/a/luka-artificial-intelligence-memorial-roman-mazurenko-bot

  8. https://www.theverge.com/a/luka-artificial-intelligence-memorial-roman-mazurenko-bot

  9. https://www.theverge.com/a/luka-artificial-intelligence-memorial-roman-mazurenko-bot

  10. https://www.theverge.com/a/luka-artificial-intelligence-memorial-roman-mazurenko-bot

  11. https://www.theverge.com/a/luka-artificial-intelligence-memorial-roman-mazurenko-bot

  12. https://www.theverge.com/a/luka-artificial-intelligence-memorial-roman-mazurenko-bot

  13. See the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQGqMVuAk04

  14. Bird and Green (2020) have stressed the importance of Fisher’s work for psycho-social analysis.

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  1. Institute of Philosophy, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Luca M. Possati

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  1. Luca M. Possati
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Correspondence to Luca M. Possati.

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Possati, L.M. Psychoanalyzing artificial intelligence: the case of Replika. AI & Soc 38, 1725–1738 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-021-01379-7

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