What I've Learned About Using an AI driven Chatbot and Compassionate Thought and Action
Founder and Director of Education at NYCNVC
October 2024
For a long time, I was averse to using a chatbot when it comes to what I call more human situations. After I began experimenting with AI driven bots, I discovered a few things that make a big difference and indeed, have found ways to get much more from a chatbot experience than I originally thought possible. Here are a few:
o Remember a chatbot is an amazing source of information, even about feelings and needs, ALTHOUGH IT DOESN’T HAVE EITHER!
o If I think of a chatbot as a source of information and NOT a source of true human to human connection, it works better. As a result, I take empathy from a chatbot with a grain of salt. I remember it is a source of info programmed by a person - and it’s not a person.
o If I think a chatbot should somehow be a perfect empathizer, I simply remind myself, again, it’s not a person. I also realize that humans are often “wrong” in the process of guessing feelings and needs. Any annoyance I may experience with this comes from my expectation that it “should” be right (that’s my work to do, not the bot’s). I’ve learned to be “disappointed” and simply return to the process by either “correcting” the guess, or asking for more guesses.
o Bots, even my bot “Compass”, seem (since they are intelligence based on current human behavior), to go to strategies pretty quickly. In these cases, I simply ask it to provide more feelings and needs (empathy) and it always responds in kind. I like that it doesn’t take any request (or demand (-; ) personally, because IT’S NOT A PERSON! It also never gets tired.
*My Biggest Takeaway*
Even though bots are designed to act like people, they aren’t and never will be. I WAY prefer NOT to ask a bot for empathy - that’s too weird for me. Instead, I USE IT TO GIVE MYSELF EMPATHY. That way it helps me get the true human to human empathy that is so sacred and beautiful. I simply ask it to help me give myself empathy and it does, kind of like a very sophisticated Feeling and Needs sheet. As it’s creator, I’m continuously programming “Compass” to get better and better at helping us humans give ourselves empathy. This works for me and is something that I believe can truly make life more wonderful.
*An Unexpected Bonus*
I have found my bot can (although it may not always) give a plethora of strategies that are, or can be, born of needs awareness. Very cool. You can try Compass for free on my webpage, thombond.com by clicking the little icon in the lower right corner of the home page.