Several decades ago, Christopher Evans warned that computer games might get so well-constructed that they could become addicting and take time and energy away from other more important pursuits and projects. That day may have already come.
Several years ago, Brian Christian wrote "The Most Human Human" about computers getting so advanced that they might be difficult to distinguish from human beings. The famous IBM computer called "Watson" bested the best human player of Jeopardy. For those who don't have enough to worry about, there are books and articles on the possible coming challenge for humans to find any work to do since it may all be done better, faster and cheaper by computers and computer-driven robots.
Now the movie "Her" comes along with a rather plausible picture of a computer operating system that is more soothing and generally more fun for a man to be with than any woman. It is only fiction and we are not there yet. But, I can see the movie "Him" on the horizon. It is well-known that many women complain that men give them attention only to play with their bodies but little attention afterwards. "The Most Human Human" is about actual contests where people type comments for judges while computers do the same.
The famous logician and philosopher Alan Turing proposed the contest used in The Most Human Human. Up next has got to be contests where actual men compete anonymously with computers at writing to women to see who can become the woman's favorite correspondent. With voice recognition, like the iPhone's Siri, getting better and better, such love and affection contests can be done by voice, allowing inflection and timing that our spoken language can make use of. Of course, we need parallel contests between real women and computers for men's attention and interest. Stay tuned.
