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TD Magazine Article

Word Wiz: Artificial Intimacy

People develop closeness with AI tools.

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Sat Feb 01 2025

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According to 2024 Gallup statistics, 53 percent of US employees work in a hybrid model and 27 percent work exclusively remotely. While work has become more flexible, it also opens workers up to loneliness that may not exist when working in a traditional, on-site environment. That, combined with the rise of artificial intelligence, has created artificial intimacy.

The term, coined by relationship expert Esther Perel, refers to the closeness people develop with AI tools such as chatbots and virtual assistants. Given that AI has a wide range of potential uses for talent development professionals—including personalized training, real-time insights and feedback, decision-making assistance, and content creation—artificial intimacy could hit the TD industry space hard due to increased exposure.

Perel says the rise of "the other AI" deprives people of real connections in favor of superficial relationships with the technology. Instead of improving work from a safe distance, algorithms act as an intermediary for crucial societal needs, such as community, attention, connection, and closure, fueling alienation and cutting off critical social bonds.

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February 2025 TD Magazine

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