Imagine being able to have a conversation with your future self. This futuristic scenario is no longer confined to science fiction. Researchers have developed an AI chatbot that allows you to engage with a version of yourself from years ahead.
Let’s delve into the details of how this innovative chatbot works.
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers have created an AI chatbot that lets you talk with your “future self,” reports Euronews.
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Researchers ultilised OpenAI’s popular GPT-3.5 model and asked study participants a series of questions about their lives, their past experiences, and their aspirations.
The system subsequently generated what the study authors referred to as “a synthetic memory” or “a backstory of the user”.
For instance, if a user aimed to pursue a career as a high school biology teacher, the AI-based future-self chatbot could recount a “memorable moment” of taking students on a field trip to a nearby nature preserve.
The MIT researchers utilised “future self-continuity,” a concept from behavioural science. This concept suggests that individuals who feel a strong connection between their present and future selves are more likely to make decisions that prioritise their long-term well-being, whether in financial, educational, or health-related matters.
The AI chatbot developed by the MIT researchers, featuring an altered profile picture to show participants a version of their 60-year-old self, can reduce temporal discounting, the report mentioned.
“When people interact with a digitally-aged version of themselves, it can make the future feel more tangible and immediate, thereby reducing the psychological distance between present and future selves,” Ivo Vlaev, professor of behavioural science at the University of Warwick in the UK, said.
The MIT team conducted trials with 344 individuals aged 18 to 30. They found that participants reported reduced anxiety and decreased negative emotions, such as feeling unmotivated, after engaging in conversations with their digital older selves.
