A new AI tool allows young adults to converse with a virtual version of their potential 60-year-old selves, aiming to reduce anxiety and improve long-term decision making.
Summary: MIT researchers have created “Future You,” an AI system that generates a simulated version of a user’s future self at age 60, enabling text-based conversations that may help reduce anxiety and increase future self-continuity.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Imagine having a conversation with your 60-year-old self. What advice would they give you? What life experiences would they share? A team of researchers from MIT and other institutions has developed an AI system that makes this hypothetical scenario a virtual reality.
The system, called “Future You,” utilizes generative AI to create a simulated version of a user’s potential future self at age 60. This AI-powered “older self” can engage in text-based conversations, offering insights, advice, and a glimpse into what the user’s life could be like in the future.
Bridging the Gap Between Present and Future Selves
The primary goal of Future You is to improve users’ sense of future self-continuity – a psychological concept that describes how connected a person feels with their future self. Research has shown that a stronger sense of future self-continuity can positively influence long-term decision-making, from financial planning to academic focus.
Pat Pataranutaporn, a recent Media Lab doctoral graduate and co-lead author of the paper on Future You, explains the system’s potential:
“We don’t have a real time machine yet, but AI can be a type of virtual time machine. We can use this simulation to help people think more about the consequences of the choices they are making today.”
How Future You Works
The system employs a large language model that draws on information provided by the user to generate a relatable, virtual version of the individual at age 60. Here’s how it operates:
- Users answer a series of questions about their current lives, values, and future goals.
- The AI system creates “future self memories” – a backstory for the model to reference during interactions.
- An age-progressed photo of the user is generated to help visualization.
- Users engage in a text-based conversation with their simulated future self.
Pattie Maes, the Germeshausen Professor of Media, Arts, and Sciences at MIT and a senior author of the paper, highlights the system’s realism:
“The system makes the simulation very realistic. Future You is much more detailed than what a person could come up with by just imagining their future selves.”
Initial Results and Potential Impact
The researchers conducted a user study with 344 individuals to evaluate Future You. Some participants interacted with the system for 10-30 minutes, while others either chatted with a generic chatbot or only filled out surveys.
Key findings from the study include:
- Users who interacted with Future You reported building a closer relationship with their ideal future selves.
- These users also experienced decreased anxiety about the future after their interactions.
- Participants felt the conversation was sincere and that their values and beliefs seemed consistent in their simulated future identities.
Hal Hershfield, a professor at the University of California at Los Angeles and senior author on the paper, notes the potential psychological benefits:
“The interactive, vivid components of the platform give the user an anchor point and take something that could result in anxious rumination and make it more concrete and productive.”
Addressing Potential Concerns
While the system shows promise, the researchers are aware of potential pitfalls and are taking steps to address them:
- To prevent negative outcomes, Future You reminds users that it represents only one possible future, emphasizing their agency to change their lives.
- The team is implementing safeguards to prevent misuse, such as companies creating false “future selves” to sell products.
- The researchers stress that Future You is not meant to create dependence but rather to provide a meaningful experience that aids self-development.
Future Applications and Research
As the project moves forward, the researchers are exploring specific applications for Future You, such as:
- Helping people explore different career paths
- Visualizing the long-term impacts of everyday choices on climate change
- Gathering data from the Future You pilot to better understand how people use the system
This innovative use of AI technology opens up new possibilities for personal growth and decision-making. By providing a virtual bridge to our potential future selves, Future You may help users make more informed choices today that positively impact their tomorrows.
Quiz: Test Your Knowledge
- What is the primary goal of the Future You system? a) To predict the future accurately b) To improve users’ sense of future self-continuity c) To replace traditional therapy d) To sell products to users
- How old is the simulated future self in the Future You system? a) 40 years old b) 50 years old c) 60 years old d) 70 years old
- What did users report after interacting with Future You in the initial study? a) Increased anxiety about the future b) No change in their outlook c) Decreased anxiety and a stronger connection to their future selves d) Confusion about the technology
Answers:
- b) To improve users’ sense of future self-continuity
- c) 60 years old
- c) Decreased anxiety and a stronger connection to their future selves
Further Reading
- Future You: A Conversation with an AI-Generated Future Self Reduces Anxiety, Negative Emotions, and Increases Future Self-Continuity
- MIT Media Lab
- IEEE Conference on Frontiers in Education
Glossary of Terms
- Future self-continuity: A psychological concept describing how connected a person feels with their future self.
- Generative AI: AI systems that can create new content, such as text, images, or simulations.
- Large language model: A type of AI model trained on vast amounts of text data, capable of generating human-like text.
- Introspection: The examination of one’s own mental and emotional processes.
- Retrospection: The act or process of thinking about past experiences or events.
- Age progression: The process of artificially aging a person’s appearance, often used in missing persons cases or, as in this study, to help visualize one’s future self.
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