New paper: Generative models privatize social interactions, create 'Synthetic Sociality'
How AI chatbots are turning our social lives into private commodities.
Deep Dive
Researchers Ana Dodik and Moira Weigel introduce "Synthetic Sociality"—a social reality fabricated by Silicon Valley's privately owned and undemocratically governed generative models. Their paper historicizes the commodification of sociality in the digital economy, distinguishes between "use" and "exchange" sociality, and explores how generative models substitute for or mediate existing social relations. The framework offers both descriptive and normative analysis, including future design opportunities.
Key Points
- Generative models automate 'social doing' — not just intelligence — by commodifying human relationship data from the digital economy.
- Paper defines 'use sociality' (authentic interaction) versus 'exchange sociality' (data monetized by platforms) — a lens to critique AI chatbots and companions.
- Proposes 'Synthetic Sociality' as privately fabricated social reality, arguing Silicon Valley's undemocratic governance threatens human connection quality.
Why It Matters
AI isn't just automating tasks — it's quietly reshaping how we connect, raising urgent questions about ownership of our social lives.