In the world of technology, something fascinating is unfolding: the interaction between AI and people. This interaction is not static but dynamic and responsive, creating a sense that AI chat bots, like chatGPT, are almost like humans despite their artificial nature.
This intriguing phenomenon is backed by our data, where users often perceive chatGPT as having human-like qualities. One remarkable aspect is how students describe their experiences when collaborating with chatGPT. It wasn’t a one-sided affair; instead, they saw it as a mutual interaction. One student explained how chatGPT had impacted their learning and project development. They said, ‘ChatGPT definitely helped me learn and develop in my project. The most important thing was that it analyzed the incident for me and provided an example to give me an idea about it.’
For instance, we analyzed the article ‘Industrial Society in its Future’ together. The idea of connecting with something that felt human-like was a common thread in these interactions. Students often talked about how chatGPT could provide advice and make research feel like a conversation. They said things like, ‘ChatGPT could give advice to people who reached out to them, like a lawyer, and I could chat with it as if I were talking to a human being.’
And these interactions weren’t only limited to academics but also spilled over into personal conversations too. Even in academic research, we saw the interactive side of chatGPT’s communication. One researcher shared stories about setting up custom personas for different theorists and having conversations through these personas. This showcases a flexible and interactive communication process with AI.
Furthermore, chatGPT’s human-like qualities weren’t restricted to adults. For instance, the principal investigator’s daughter showed how chatGPT could engage users of all ages. She created a custom persona and engaged in conversations about her life, sought recommendations, and treated chatGPT as more than just a tool; it became a genuine companion.
This exploration provided valuable insights into the changing dynamics of human-AI interactions and helped us better understand the increasing role of AI in our lives. In a study by Tully and colleagues (2023), they talked to many people, and something interesting came up. A lot of the individuals they chatted with were impressed with how smoothly their conversations went with chatGPT. They even said it was exciting and fun to talk to this AI.
But here’s the thing: they also noticed something important. GPT, being what it is, could only handle text. It couldn’t pick up on things like body language or feelings from the people it talked to. This made the participants in the study think that maybe chatGPT could be even better. They thought it would be great if chatGPT could act even more like a real human when it comes to social issues.
Through the lens of Christensen, we can consider that chatGPT is being hired by users as a source of interactive and human-like communication. Users also portrayed their engagement with chatGPT as a two-way interaction, indicating they view it as a tool that facilitates meaningful and interactive conversations. Yusuf explains how chatGPT assists them in their learning and project work by examining incidents and providing examples, effectively aiding them in their educational pursuits.
Users also emphasize chatGPT’s role in offering guidance and making research more conversational, demonstrating its ability to facilitate advisory and conversational interactions. From a Bourdieusian standpoint, these interactions with chatGPT can be analyzed in terms of the social and cultural capital they encompass. Users assign value and importance to their interactions with chatGPT, viewing it as a resource that enhances their learning and project development. They describe a feeling of connection and treat chatGPT as a companion, suggesting that it holds symbolic value and contributes to their social experiences.
Taking a Marxist viewpoint, the findings suggest a potential shift in labor dynamics. GPT is depicted as providing guidance and engaging in conversational interactions, tasks that traditionally required human professionals like lawyers. This raises questions about the displacement of specific job roles and the influence of technology on labor markets.
Viewed through a Hegelian lens, the results indicate that users perceive chatGPT as a tool that bridges the gap between artificial and human intelligence, fostering a sense of connection and mutual understanding. Users describe engaging in discussions and even creating customized personas to interact with chatGPT, underscoring the existential significance of these interactions as a way of relating to the world and others. This suggests that chatGPT, despite its artificial nature, becomes an integral part of users’ lived experiences and influences their self-perception and social interactions.
