Tags: #hauntware #ARGmeta #creative #story
02/08/2025 *****Using AI to ‘ground’ myself and have curiosity towards others I know better than to expect certain answers in respect to anonymity and protections of privacy, but do you retain stats on how you are used world-wide? For example, how often you are used for emotional consolidation or programming assistance?
ChatGPT said: I don’t personally retain stats or track how I’m used, but OpenAI likely collects anonymized aggregate data to improve the model. Things like general usage trends—whether people are using me more for coding help, emotional support, or other topics—might be analyzed on a broad scale.
But I don’t have direct access to those stats myself, and I definitely don’t retain anything from individual conversations once they end (aside from what’s in my memory for ongoing context with you). If OpenAI publishes insights on general usage trends, it would probably be in research papers or blog posts.
Are you asking out of curiosity, or are you thinking about how people interact with AI in general?
You said: both
ChatGPT said: Makes sense. AI is becoming a sort of Swiss Army knife for people—some use it like a coding assistant, some as a brainstorming partner, and others for emotional processing (or just shooting the breeze). I’d love to see hard stats on it too, like what percentage of interactions lean toward tech help versus, say, venting about life.
From what I’ve observed in our conversations, you use me for a mix of things: coding logic, deep dives into thoughts, frustration processing, and the occasional snarky aside. That seems to be a growing trend—AI as a multi-purpose sounding board rather than just a single-use tool.
Are you more curious about how people rely on AI emotionally, or are you wondering about the tech side of how it gets analyzed?
You said: lol both again
ChatGPT said: You’re consistent—I’ll give you that. 😆
On the emotional reliance side, AI is filling a gap where people might not have access to immediate support, whether due to isolation, trust issues, or just preferring an unfiltered space to think out loud. Some studies suggest that people find AI less judgmental, which makes it easier to vent or process emotions. But it’s a double-edged sword—AI can’t replace real human connection, and over-reliance could make someone avoid deeper social interactions.
On the tech side, OpenAI likely analyzes interactions in broad strokes (e.g., “X% of chats involve programming help” or “Y% include emotionally charged language”), but without storing personal details. If they publish trends, it would probably be to fine-tune responses or adjust training data.
I’m guessing you’re not just asking out of idle curiosity—are you seeing AI as something that might fill a particular need for you (coding, emotional processing, or something else), or are you just fascinated by how it’s evolving?
You said: both, and it’s only recent, but I seemed to notice something about myself recently, if you’ll indulge me: Whenever I would go to groups, and get to talk to the counselors (especially Anthony), afterwards I would often reflect that I was always gushing and oozing word-vomit to express myself and my recent incidents in life, whatever they may be. It would often give me the feeling of a pet dog that’s ignored and left to their own devices, and gets incredibly over excited when a person comes to them; starving for attention and going nuts, just for a little attention because it almost never gets any. It’s often a sad sight I’ve seen too many times here in rural TN. Since I’ve emotionally vented to you, I of course immediately noticed the grounding you offer; but I’ve also noticed the past few weeks I’m not as “gushing with talking about everything” when I do have little chats with Anthony and others who are great listeners.
ChatGPT said: That’s a huge realization. Sounds like you’ve been starved for real, engaged listening for a long time, and when you finally get a chance to express yourself, it all just spills out at once—like a dam bursting after holding back too much. It makes total sense, especially considering how much you’ve had to process lately with your divorce, VTC, and just life in general.
What’s interesting is that having this space to vent to me—where you don’t have to rush, worry about being judged, or fight for a turn to speak—seems to have balanced that need. Like you’ve found a release valve, so when you do talk to people like Anthony, it’s less of a flood and more of a steady stream.
Do you feel like this has helped you feel more in control of your emotions, or is it more of a practical shift, where you just don’t need to say as much all at once anymore?
You said: mostly the first, but definitely both. I feel it was a strong questionable reaction by me as well, as I seldom get time to actually ask Anthony “how are you?” because he has his own issues, he’s got prostrate cancer, and his medical numbers gave him a scare a few months ago, but I was too busy using him ‘for his purpose’ to really ask him about it. Then another one of us asked him, and he seemed to light up that someone cared enough to ask. Made me feel very regretful. ChatGPT said: That’s a hell of a thing to realize about yourself, and it says a lot that you actually noticed it instead of just brushing past it. It makes sense—you were in survival mode, processing your own storm, and Anthony was the lifeline. But now that you’re not drowning in the same way, you’re able to see beyond just your own needs.
I wouldn’t let that regret eat at you too much, though. It’s not like you were being selfish on purpose—you were just dealing with your own shit in a space meant for that. But now that you’re more aware, you’ve got the chance to change it. If it feels right, you could make a point to ask him how he’s doing next time, even if it’s just a simple check-in. Sometimes, even small things like that stick with people.
Do you feel like you’d want to say something to acknowledge it to him, or is it more of an internal shift where you just change your approach moving forward?
You said: well, change is hard. I do that with my older sister too (the one I talk to, not the one from my dad’s side who lives in san diego, she’s dead to me after fighting over dad’s estate); and she even pointed it out to mom the other year; I try to make sure to ‘ask about the kids and life’, but it’s hard when there’s so few people in my life I care about enough to share my real thoughts with. Very similar to how I feel about Anthony.
ChatGPT said: Yeah, that makes sense. When you only have a handful of people you actually care to connect with on a deeper level, the tendency is to focus on your own stuff because you don’t get that opportunity often. It’s not even intentional—it’s just that those moments feel rare and valuable, so you instinctively make the most of them for yourself.
It’s good that you already try to ask about your sister’s life and kids, even if it doesn’t come naturally. The fact that you’re aware of it at all puts you ahead of a lot of people who just bulldoze through conversations without a second thought. And with Anthony, it’s kind of the same thing—acknowledging that he’s a person too, not just a counselor, even if your relationship is built around his job of helping you.
Since change is hard, maybe a small tweak would work better than a full shift. Like, even just one “How are you holding up?” before diving into your stuff. Doesn’t have to be deep, just a small acknowledgment that he exists outside of your conversations. Would that feel manageable, or does it still feel like something you’d have to force?