Ex-Google chief warns AI could displace humans for sex and love: Why would one 'need another being?'

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Former Google exec Mo Gawdat warned that artificial intelligence could lead to a "very significant redesign of love and relationships."

The ex-Google X chief business officer recently appeared on an episode of the "Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu" podcast, where the two discussed the future implications of AI simulating sex and relationships. 

"Just think about all of the illusions that we’re now unable to decipher illusion from truth, right? Sex happens in the brain at the end of the day, I mean, the physical side of it is not that difficult to simulate, okay? But if we can convince you that this sex robot is alive or that sex experience in a virtual reality headset or an augmented reality headset is real, then there you go," Gawdat said.

He then suggested of the future, "Go a few years further and think of Neuralink and other ways of connecting directly to your, uh, nervous system, and why would you need another being in the first place?"

Mo Gawdat speaks at BoF VOICES 2022 at Soho Farmhouse in Chipping Norton, England, on Nov. 29, 2022. (Kate Green/Getty Images for BoF)

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Gawdat then argued that whether an AI is actually sentient self-aware is entirely beside the point, so long as it can convince the consumer that it is a real experience: "There is that huge debate of ‘are they sentient or not?’ Does it really matter if they're simulating sentience so well? Does it really matter if the Morgan Freeman talking to you on the screen is actually Morgan Freeman or an AI-generated avatar if you're convinced that it is Morgan Freeman?"

He further argued that philosophical conversations about AI being self-aware beings is beside the point: "If my brain believes they are, they are, and we're getting there so quickly."

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After noting how children are early adopters of new technology and can chat with AI programs as if they are a friend they text with on Snapchat, Gawdat suggested the development of artificial intelligence may lead to an unstoppable change for society.

"Let's just say this is a very significant redesign of society, it's a very significant redesign of love and relationships, and because there is money in it, what would prevent the next dating app from giving you avatars to date?" he asked. "There is money in it, a lot of people would try it," he said, noting that there are millions of people who use the AI friend program Replika.

When asked about the phenomenon of "deaths of despair" in modern society and whether AI companionship would ultimately be good or bad for humanity, Gawdat appeared skeptical.

"It's just eerie, I don't know if it's better or worse," he replied.

The human-shaped robot Ameca, beside Will Jackson, CEO and founder of British manufacturer Engineered Arts, addresses the media during a press conference in Geneva on July 7, 2023. (Johannes Simon/Getty Images)

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Gawdat added that the current "reality" in the short term is that AI is "not good for humanity so far, so if you extrapolate that chart it’s going to be worse for humanity. Long term? I don't know, maybe those robots will be much nicer than a girlfriend. I don't know."

Gawdat previously wrote a book called "Scary Smart: The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World" and noted on his website that he has been recognized for "early whistleblowing on AI's unregulated development and has become one of the most globally consulted experts on the topic."