AI technology is starting to impact every facet of our lives. We have heard a lot of news stories about the growing number of people using AI to write books, generate computer code, create art and interact with virtual partners.
One of the things that we haven’t heard as much about is the impact that AI is having on human interactions. However, this is probably going to be one of the biggest changes that AI is going to create in the years to come.
AI is Changing Our Communication Styles for Better or Worse
One survey from 2022 found that 53% of Americans regularly use AI. Of course, that number has probably increased sharply over the last couple of years.
One of the ways that people are using AI is to streamline communications. Here are some of the ways it is changing our personal and professional interactions.
Many People Are Using AI to Write Academic and Professional Papers
People can use AI to create all kinds of content. Many students are using it to write their papers. One study found that 22 million student papers contained at least 20% AI-generated text.
AI can also be used to write professional white papers, technical papers and other content as well. This can have a huge effect on formal business communications and company training programs.
AI Helps People with Online Dating
A lot of people are also using AI to streamline the online dating process. One study found that 43% of people use AI to make profiles for dating apps, while another 37% used AI to create messages to people they are interacting with.
Since online dating is so popular these days, AI is going to affect how many people communicate with potential partners. This can make the process of finding someone on a dating app a lot faster and easier.
Some People Are Using AI to Write Emails
A growing number of people are using AI to write emails for both personal and professional purposes. There are a number of reasons that they are doing so:
- They can write emails more quickly.
- They can ask AI tools to remove any overly harsh words or phrases that may be off-putting to the recipient.
- They can minimize the risk of spelling and grammatical errors.
AI is going to make it quicker and easier to write emails in the future, especially as people are trying to save time at work.
Some People Are Interacting with AI Friends and Companions
Last year, the Surgeon General reported that we are living in a loneliness epidemic. This is especially true for young men.
Many people are having trouble finding others to connect with. They are turning to AI friends and companions instead, which can help them feel less lonely. There were around 1.6 million searches for AI Girlfriend services this year and that number is likely to grow in 2025. Many women are using AI boyfriend services as well.
AI May Be Able to Analyze the Meanings Behind Messages
Many people have a hard time understanding hidden subtexts in emails, text messages and other communications. They may use AI to analyze these messages to get a better understanding of them.
What Impact is AI Going to Have on the Way We Communicate?
There are a lot of big reasons AI is changing human interactions. Some of the biggest changes that it is going to create are listed below.
People Will Communicate More Quickly
Many people have started using AI to streamline their communications. One author used AI to write a 40,000-word book in half an hour, so it is clearly very quick at creating text. Therefore, it can clearly save a lot of time writing emails, texts and white papers.
The time that people save on writing messages can be spent focusing on more important things. This can help them put more thought into more important communications.
AI Can Create New Ideas to Share in Discussions
Everybody has trouble thinking about things to say from time to time. AI can help people come up with new topics to bring up. This can help the conversation go more smoothly. This can be especially helpful for people that aren’t the bets conversationalists.
AI Can Make Our Interactions Less Personal
While AI can make communication more efficient, it can also come at a cost. One downside is that it removes the personal touch, which can make communication seem more generic and scripted. This may not be a problem with formal business conversations, but it can definitely be a damper for more intimate conversations.
People May Get Better at Having Conversations by Practicing with AI
AI can help people practice their conversation skills. They can interact with virtual friends or AI girlfriends, which help them learn how to interact with real people more easily. This can be very helpful for neurodivergent people and others that struggle with social skills.
There is More Room for Misunderstandings When Relying Too Much on AI
AI can make the communication process faster, but it is important to doublecheck the content it creates. It may make mistakes when drafting emails and other messages, which can lead to huge misunderstandings. People that don’t fact-check these details can run into trouble. They need to be careful to keep track of important information about the people they are talking with to minimize this problem.
AI Can Weaken In-Person Communication Skills for People that Rely Too Much on it for Written Discussions
AI may be useful for written conversations, but it won’t be so helpful with in-person interactions. This can be a problem, because people often develop their in-person communication skills by getting to know people through written chats. These people may have a harder time learning how to interact with people in real life.
AI is a Gamechanger for Human Communication
More people are using AI technology to help them communicate these days. There are a lot of benefits, but there are some downsides too. It will be interesting to see how it affects us in the years to come.