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In a world where tech companies often compete to create the next productivity tool, a new device is breaking away from the pack. Meet Friend: a new wearable Al companion that you wear around your neck, The small device records your every word and interaction and responds accordingly by text. They cost $99 and are expected to ship out in early 2025.
The device comes at a time when loneliness and social isolation (我独)are at record highs. Studies indicate that 6l% of young people in the U.S. suffer from serious loneliness,a statistic that reveals a growing mental health crisis. While Al reshapes all the ways we interact in jobs, healthcare and entertainment - more and more people report feeling socially isolated, Schiffmann, Meet Friend's founder, sees it differently: the device isn't a replacement for human relationships but rather a way to fill the gaps when human companionship is hard to come by.
Al companionship is controversial(有争议的).While some people. like Schiffmann, argue that it can help people feel less isolated, others worry that Al relationships might displace real human connections, and thus make people feel more lonely, If you are someone who already struggles with human interactions, the thinking goes, why would you continue to subject yourself to them when you have an Al friend who's fun and uncomplicated, and doesn't come with all the baggage of another person?
But so far, the research doesn’t seem to support this fear, Drake-Maples at Stanford University surveyed more than 1.000 students who used the Al chatbot Replika, and investigated their feelings of loneliness and perceived social support.Roughly half of these users reported decreased anxiety, and a feeling of social support.Nearly a quarter of those surveyed said they are more able to handle stress in their current relationship because of Replika's advice.
It is still a new field though, and Drake-Maples says there needs to be guidelines “I strongly believe that you do need to have ethical guidelines around Al companions pushing people back when appropriate, towards human relationships," she says. These could be gentle reminders like “Hey, you should go chat with somebody about that or “Go practice this now with a real human.
1. What is Meet Friend aimed at?
A. Replacing human relationships,
B. Boosting the productivity at work.
C. Offering a new approach to connection.
D. Detecting early symptoms of mental illness
2. What does the underlined part “the thinking"" in paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Al helps avoid life's stress.
B. Al worsens feelings of loneliness.
C. Human relationships are hard to keep.
D. It's easy to communicate with an Al friend.
3.What is Drake-Maples' attitude towards Al companionship?
A. Cautious. B. Unclear. C. Supportive. D.Disapproving
4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A. Can we trust an AI friend?
B. Will Al change human nature?
C. Can an Al friend make us less lonely?
D. Will Al redefine mental health crisis?
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