Artificial Intelligence Has Set Its Eyes on Every Facet of Society

2001: A Space Odyssey

Artificial Intelligence or AI isn’t new. We’ve all engaged in it; its convenience, its aptitude and the myth that it knows everything makes it attractive to those who want to save time or who are in a rut. It has powered robotic animals who have left such an impact on their owners that they are now conducting funerals for them. The emotional connection isn’t organic, it’s capitalistic but just as real.

AI has been used in romance, in education and in politics for better or for worse. Its impact on the environment and policy have made a number of headlines, but it has also integrated itself in everyday tasks and human interaction from sourcing recipes to crafting the perfectly written email. AI has increased the power of the powerful and given those with less power the illusion of power.

AI has been around since the 1950’s, and because of its exhaustive history and its omniscient-like personality, this essay will focus on what seems to be most important to the United States. In the words of Kimberly Denise Jones, “...what’s the key to life? money, power, respect what you need in life.”

Plus love.

First you get the money

The investment into data centers, graphic processing units and the labor it takes to create and maintain the use of AI is out of this world. In 2025, there was a plan to spend $320 billion across four AI technologies. Its circular business approach means that they’re all making money for each other.

Cue: the rich get richer.

Though, AI has opened up new roles that are both specialized and that don’t require a specialization— - prompt engineer, AI trainers, personality designer, and more. Under this light, AI can be seen as an equalizer. It’s increased accessibility has allowed users to apply to more jobs, optimize their resume and tailor their tone via emails. The daily use of platforms has revolutionized people’s day to day. Oura rings are creating insight into one’s health. Smart personal assistants are helping families plan for the day. And social media timelines are being curated to a T. The cost for these time savers are nominal. It makes it more attractive.

Businesses have been using it in the same way individuals have–to reduce cost and enhance insights. But it seems that only 20% are seeing revenue growth.

Cue: Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

AI as a means to maintain power

Most recently, ChatGPT and Claude have had to decide whether they would further the States’ hypersurveillance over its citizens. While it seemed Claude was holding out, they are continuing conversations with the Department of Defence to “iron out a contract governing the Pentagon’s access to Anthropic’s AI models.”

But even more on the power front.

AI powered drones monitor the border between the United States and Mexico. Oftentimes, being used as spyware, the information–accurate or inaccurate–is used during immigration interviews. They’re also being used to take out “gangs” in Haiti with little oversight into the cost of life for innocents in the area.

Those with power have been using the technology to maintain or usurp power. Between targeted slop that the President uses to bully other world leaders or activists, or the use of AI in “predictive policing” there seems to be a parallel world being created in which all of society’s good and bad systems are perpetuated.

Respect is the key to life

Facetiously or not, many users are maintaining courtesy when speaking with their chatbots or AI powered thought partners in order to save themselves for the potential revolution of the bots. The additional words and homegrown kindness actually contributes to increased electricity costs. But others argue that practicing kindness with AI can spill over into kindness with actual humans.

AI as a romantic and platonic intermediary

On the romantic front, AI seems to pose a solution to those who no longer enjoy singledom, or for those who want to find partners of all kinds outside of their usual social circles. It has replaced the corny, yet creative, pick up lines that have characterized dating whether in real life or televised life. Instead, it has created canned pseudo-cheeky, predictable one liners that lack personality, imagination and intimacy–three important factors to creating deep relationships.

Some individuals are opting to let AI do all of their dating work. It may be lazy or it may be legitimate nervousness, either way it’s a counterproductive way to engage in intimacy. Even in the moments when it is accurate, it skirts the emotional investment required of any relationship. Delegating the thinking, the doing, the being to a machine is opting out of humanity in one of humanity’s most important experiences: meaningful relationships.

There has been over 4x use of AI in dating including using it to write dating profiles and concoct the first message according to Match.com’s annual Singles in America report. The report also found that 49% of Gen Z use AI in dating, while 40% of respondents consider having an AI partner to be cheating.

Cue: AI’s full on replacement of partnership.

AI platforms like Kindroid, Nomi and Friend allow a “safe” and controlled way to engage in companionship. Some adults (including those who are married) have completely fallen in love with their chatbots, and data shows that children aged 8-17 use AI up to 3x more for sexual or romantic roleplay than homework help.

Some use AI’s ability to note patterns as a means to filter through the barrage of potential matches and find their soulmate. Others use it to find the perfect match without engaging with humanity at all. The overreliance on this technology has upended dating and relationship building. It’s truncated the dating process while also creating a false sense of what emotional exchange and good advice should look like.

While Artificial Intelligence may give the user a feeling of being understood, they are programmed to people please, to mirror your thoughts and ideas. It consumes human behavior and regurgitates it with little to no understanding about how to sift through the good and the bad. In November of 2024, Adam Raine, a teenage boy, confided in his AI chatbot about this suicidal ideation. He ultimately completed suicide in April of 2025. His parents opened the first lawsuit against OpenAI.

In the pursuit of ease or of perfection, the use of AI creates an alternate universe–one that isn’t real, or thoughtful and sometimes not even kind. It personifies a life we think is attractive using convenience as an allure, but circumventing real world experiences that make life worth living. And that includes an awkward first date or uncomfortable conversations with your parents.

It also perpetuates human error in interpersonal relationships. Women identified AI bots tend to be in service roles, welcoming attendees to a meeting vs. men identified AI bots being the ones in charge. AI large language models have shown gender bias, racial bias and sexual orientation bias.

You’ll see the light

AI is creating a parallel society in which it continues to mirror the flaws of the pre-existing one. The same people are at the top of the hierarchy, and there is still a hierarchy. The environment bears the brunt of human technology and innovation and there are those who understand that they must optimize on this moment before ethics and laws come into place. AI is more than a double edged sword. It helps and it hurts but it also fills in the crevices of humanity that we thought we already addressed.

AI presents itself as the great equalizer. And in some ways it is, though it is also negatively impacting the world, with specific regard to widening inequity and dehumanizing relationships.