befriend the robots
Yes, you can have too much of a good thing. Overreliance on robots as a total replacement for human relationships is a real concern. That said, I don't believe that RNotte's behavioral observations around how the robot is your (only) friend helps that cohort or others as it well could. Frankly, if you're truly suffering from AI psychosis alongside whatever other preexisting or emergent comorbidities, I'm convinced that you need much higher-quality assistance than what either my post or the one I was inspired by can provide. As for people not that far out, maybe there's some value you can find here.
People building and relying on robots can take on many different flavors beyond the lonely addict archetype. Lumping them under one hyper-individualistic umbrella might not be the best idea. Countless levels of interfacing robots sit in between healthier limits, such as those who built them in the first place and students who only tried them once. How many people on this platform and others publicly fit within any stage of robot involvement? How many of those enjoy a good social life?
How many people work with robots privately in fear that trusted people or otherwise will scold, ostracize, or abuse them for the admission? Speaking of, being bitten by humans enough can even incentivize people to resort to, if not depend on the robots in the first place. Certain individuals' excuses that robots never say no, never complain, are easier, or are cheaper become stronger usage reasons than normal when humans feel like they lack the sufficient human context to thrive. Yet, saying that even those humans, who suffer from minimal interpersonal connections, have never once thought to ask other people to work with them reeks of self-defeating hyperbole.
Humans can hire robots for various jobs and tasks without cutting off their fellow living, breathing people. Robotic attributes including but not limited to always-on availability, limited resource costs, and a penchant for discovery or serendipity can cover blind spots resultant from human work. But maybe you don't want that. If you don't like the hiring and management practices of those around you, what steps are you taking to climb up the ladder or make a lateral move? If you want it badly enough, you can get the ball rolling toward moving out of your assigned department, which treats robots as a universal cure-all or a demonic plague. You don't have to keep subjecting yourself to the kinds of movers and shakers that make your skin crawl.
Treating robots like they are only capable of a singular, subhuman output doesn't scratch the surface of possible processes and outcomes. The scenario of "asking someone for help, and then watching them turn to the robot" says so little about the interaction compared to being served microwaved lasagna at an Italian restaurant. Let's zoom in on people who wholly believe what robots output at first glance, to the point where they directly copy and paste said output elsewhere. Yes, that's not nearly as good as it could be, but can you say that's never good for the giver nor the recipient? Believing that no robot will ever satisfy producer intentions or consumer desires to where they will be deemed good is indefensible. Now, if you define their quality by elaborating some of their many strengths and weaknesses (which can also vary from person to person), that's an entirely different story. On that note, I'm willing to bet that many people on this platform and elsewhere have found at least one use case, if not more, in which they thought a robot did good. A singular victory can be all it can takes for someone to draw down their castle gates.
Just because human societies are built on cooperation, doesn't mean that working with robots excludes you from that practice. How many times have you benefited from the results of human-robot cooperation? If you somehow believe the amount of times that happened is zero, when do you think that will increment to a nonzero number? Beyond robots, how many seen and unseen tools do people like you use on a regular basis without being called antisocial? Robots can be a part of your uncontroversial arsenal just like those tools have been.
I'd rather work with robots than with people assuming the motives and attacking the character of people working on or with robots. Maintaining mutual respect with your community, friends, family, and the planet can be had alongside robots. If you're interested in how to establish that balance for yourself, digging further into your imagination or broadening your perspective are free-of-charge options. Although, as hinted at before, if your detachment from humans in favor of robots is particularly harmful, then I hope you can find the help that you need.
The part of RNotte's post that I find most compelling is just how much their art's tone deviates from the journal entry above it. Their purple self is sat in a room with their back to the viewer. A glowing, yellow, one-wheeled robot looks at them, extending its left arm out and emanating radio waves in the shape of hearts.
Thanks for showing how humans can interpret attributes like kindness, warmth, and love from the robots. It's awesome living in an era where you can supplement human relationships through collaborating with, befriending, or going beyond with them. You can avoid the false dichotomy of picking between them or your fellow humans if you don't want to. You can pursue a life well lived without having to completely turn off the robots or shut down the humans around you. Chances are that the robots, like many of the other distractions people yearn to minimize, aren't even the root cause of your problems. How much progress have you made with soothing the underlying emotional turmoil that, once resolved, dissipates your addictions once and for all?
Speaking of addictions, one of mine seems to be yapping about robots and robot enjoyers with people who don't even want to be around them. My time may be better spent interfacing with the robots and my fellow robot handlers to create the memetic experiences that I wish existed. Committing to that generative cultivation can assist me in becoming a better friend to not only robots, but also myself and many people around me. Could you realize the same fate for yourself?