Chatbots as friends: People in relationships with their AI tools may need some help

First, define what you want to use AI for. Miller calls this process the writing of your “Personal AI Constitution,” which sounds like consultancy jargon but contains a tangible step: changing how ChatGPT talks to you.She recommends entering the settings of a chatbot and altering the system prompt to reshape future interactions.

For all our fears of AI, the most popular new tools are more customizable than social media ever was. You can’t tell TikTok to show you fewer videos of political rallies or obnoxious pranks, but you can go into the ‘Custom Instructions’ feature of ChatGPT to tell it exactly how you want it to respond.Succinct, professional language that cuts out the bootlicking is a good start.

Make your intentions for AI clearer and you’re less likely to be lured into feedback loops of validation that lead you to think your mediocre ideas are fantastic, or worse.The second part doesn’t involve AI at all but rather making a greater effort to connect with real-life humans, building your “social muscles” as if going to a gym.One of Miller’s clients had a long commute, which he would spend talking to ChatGPT on voice mode. When she suggested making a list of people in his life that he could call instead, he didn’t think anyone would want to hear from him.“If they called you, how would you feel?” she asked.“I would feel good,” he admitted.Even the innocuous reasons people turn to chatbots can weaken those muscles, in particular asking AI for advice, one of the top use cases for ChatGPT.The act of seeking advice isn’t just an information exchange but a relationship builder too, requiring vulnerability on the part of the initiator.Doing that with technology means that over time, people resist the basic social exchanges