When AI starts looking back at us, how do we keep it human?
We’ve reached a point where digital avatars, "Digital Humans", aren't just science fiction anymore. They’re becoming the new face of public services, promising 24/7 support with a smile that looks, talks, and acts almost exactly like ours. But there’s a catch. When we simulate empathy at the speed of light, we risk creating what I call "imposter technology", systems that are technically perfect but psychologically hollow. If an AI can mimic a human connection but doesn't actually "care" about the outcome, what happens to public trust?
In this piece, I explore the concept of Temporal Empathy. It’s not just about making an avatar look real; it’s about architecting the governance that ensures these interactions remain grounded in human values, even when they’re happening at machine speed.
What’s inside:
The Trust Gap: Why hyper-realistic AI can actually make us feel less connected if we don't get the ethics right.
Machine Velocity vs. Human Feeling: Balancing the efficiency of an instant response with the time it takes to build real rapport.
The "Shadow" Governance: How we can build guardrails into these systems to protect the most vulnerable users from being "managed" by an algorithm.
As we move toward a world where the interface between us and the state is a digital face, we need to make sure that face has a conscience.
