Chatbots powered by generative AI ask how we're doing, laugh with us, tell jokes, and make us feel good through their drive for harmony. What do these bots, which appear to act with empathy, mean for how we interact with one another? Do we increasingly trust them with more and make them our best friend, always available and understanding? Do they become our psychologist because a therapy appointment would not be available for several months anyway? Do we confide in them what we would otherwise tell only a pastor? What does it mean for us as people and as a society when algorithms become virtual friends? And when we may even prefer them to people.
Alongside this aspect of social interaction, the study explores what digital assistants mean for how we engage with knowledge. Internet searches are becoming more convenient. And faster. We no longer have to search and work our way through long lists of links. We find answers. Well written, plausible-sounding, and concise. Will we become a society of the first answer? Or will we continue to research? Will we check the sources cited?
The study “Fast food knowledge and virtual love. AI assistants and us“ explores these questions.
It asks AI experts, psychologists, and sociologists. Associations, think tanks, and politicians. And, of course, members of the public. Qualitative interviews with experts are followed by a representative survey of 1,000 people across Germany.
The study thus offers a snapshot of public sentiment and looks ahead to a development that is only just beginning.
Our networks connect people and open access to digital technologies. Generative AI is one of the major trends of our time. It brings many questions and changes - both positive and negative. Some people are enthusiastic. Others are more critical. But ignoring it is not an option. At Telekom, we see it as part of our digital responsibility to follow and question trends like these - and to bring people along. To give them the opportunity to form their own opinions. With our study, we provide information, lower barriers, and make it easier for people to engage with this increasingly complex topic.
How we as a society engage with new technologies is something we need to discuss. No one can dictate it - not a company, an institution, or a government. We can only shape digital responsibility together. This study is intended to help start that conversation. It is part of a broader effort that includes our Digital Responsibility Initiative. It also builds on the self-binding AI Guidelines that we established in 2018.
