WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF LONG-TERM EXPOSURE TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) INTERACTIONS ON EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND EMPATHY IN HUMANS?

This paper reviews the long-term impacts of working with artificial intelligence (AI) systems to influence emotional intelligence (EI) and empathy. AI has the ability to augment emotional growth with suggestions for feeling, managing, and expressing emotions focused on those with emotional interaction difficulties. AI-based programs can assist users in engaging with emotionally distressing situations and promote users' emotional awareness and communication in their relationships. Nonetheless, reliance on AI may reduce face-to-face engagement, which is critical for deep emotional relationships, even though AI may imitate empathy and provide emotional support. AI cannot simulate the expansive range of human emotion and relational experiences derived from being human. Over time, and prolonged use of AI for emotional engagement, increases the chances of social disconnection and relation impoverishment. The bottom line is the use of AI systems should be for guidance rather than replacement of human interactions. Underlying this discussion is the need for emotional guidance through AI systems to be balanced with human interactions and relationships. Societies must remain conscious of AI as a rapidly changing technology designed mainly for emotional engagement and development, and the need for maintaining a human-centric model of emotional health and education.