News Express: UM research reveals that AI is unlikely to be a long term solution to human loneliness
新聞快訊：澳大研究顯示AI未能長期緩解人類孤獨感
澳大研究顯示AI未能長期緩解人類孤獨感
UM research reveals that AI is unlikely to be a long term solution to human loneliness
澳大研究顯示AI未能長期緩解人類孤獨感
澳門大學協同創新研究院副院長Christian Montag、澳大認知與腦科學研究中心副教授Michiel Spapé與香港大學教授Benjamin Becker共同撰寫的一篇研究中顯示，人工智慧並非緩解人類孤獨感的永久解決方案。該研究已發表於國際期刊《認知科學趨勢》（Trends in Cognitive Sciences）。
根據世界衛生組織的資料，孤獨感已成為全球性挑戰，影響著全球六分之一的人口。由於孤獨感會引發嚴重的生理和心理健康問題，因此這是一個亟待解決的重大問題。如今，一些科學研究表明，人類正通過與人工智慧伴侶或聊天機器人進行互動來替代朋友甚至心理治療。然而，Christian Montag指出：“如果一個人感到孤獨，他們渴望與親近的人有實際的接觸。這對於現有的聊天機器人來說非常難以模擬。大型語言模型主要通過文本交流進行運作。這顯然不足以向孤獨的人提供治癒孤獨的方法，即直接的人際支援。”為此，研究回顧了關於社會接觸的文獻，強調了人類在陷入絕望時直接人際互動的重要性，指出人工智慧並非緩解人類孤獨感的永久解決方案。
此外，研究亦提到人工智慧聊天機器人目前無法在絕望時刻替代直接的人際互動。儘管如此，研究仍指出，人工智慧技術在心理危機時期對支持人類具有巨大潛力，尤其是在沒有人類可以介入的時候。但相關技術必須先提升其安全性，並謹記人類進化而來的天性及其對真實人際需求的意義，才有可能使用在相關場景。研究亦向社會傳遞了一個訊息：人工智慧的驚人進步不應使人忽視、更不應取代對社區建設和人際支援的投資。
該研究的第一作者兼通訊作者為Christian Montag；共同作者為Michiel Spapé、Benjamin Becker；Benjamin Becker亦同為通訊作者。全文可瀏覽：https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2025.08.002。
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https://www.um.edu.mo/zh-hant/news-and-press-releases/campus-news/detail/62094/
UM research reveals that AI is unlikely to be a long term solution to human loneliness
A joint study conducted by Christian Montag, associate director of the Institute of Collaborative Innovation at the University of Macau (UM), Michiel Spapé, associate professor in the Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences at UM, and Benjamin Becker, professor in the Department of Psychology at The University of Hong Kong, points out that artificial intelligence (AI) is unlikely to be a long term solution to human loneliness. The research has been published in the international journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences.
Loneliness affects one in six people worldwide and has been identified as a global public health concern by the World Health Organization. This is a serious issue that needs to be addressed, as loneliness can lead to significant physical and mental health problems. Some studies suggest that people are turning to AI companions or chatbots as substitutes for friends, or even psychotherapy. However, as Prof Montag points out, ‘If a person is lonely, they long for the physical presence of someone close to them. This is very hard to mimic with the available chatbots. Large language models operate mostly via text communication. Clearly, this is not sufficient to provide lonely people with the best cure for loneliness—direct support in person.’ To this end, Prof Montag and his colleagues reviewed literature on social touch and highlighted the importance of direct human interaction in times of despair. They concluded that AI is unlikely to be a long term solution to human loneliness.
The research also mentions that existing chatbots cannot replace direct human interaction in times of despair. Nevertheless, the research does point out that AI technology has significant potential to support humans in times of psychological crisis, especially when human intervention is unavailable. However, the researchers advocate making the technology safer before it can be used in this context, and emphasise the importance of remembering our evolutionary heritage and the need for genuine interpersonal connections. The research conveys a message to society: remarkable advancements in AI must not distract from or replace investment in community building and human-to-human support.
Prof Montag is the first and corresponding author of the study. Prof Spapé and Prof Becker are co-authors. Prof Becker is also the corresponding author. The full text of the study is available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2025.08.002.
To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/campus-news/detail/62094/