MIT

Future You: Using AI to Connect with Your Future Self

Curious about your future self? A new platform developed by MIT researchers, called Future You, now allows you to engage in conversations with an AI-generated representation of yourself in the future, specifically at age 60.

Future You aims to foster a stronger connection between young individuals and their future selves, as studies suggest that such a connection leads to improved long-term decision-making, such as financial planning and academic focus.

Functioning on a large language model like ChatGPT, Future You constructs a realistic portrayal of your future self by considering your current aspirations and life experiences. By gathering information about you and generating future memories, the AI is able to respond to inquiries such as “How did I overcome a challenge?” or “What might my future career entail?”

In contrast to traditional techniques like writing letters to your future self or employing virtual reality, Future You delivers a more interactive experience, allowing you to seek advice from your future self and explore various life possibilities.

Engaging with Future You creates a sensation akin to conversing with a more mature and insightful version of yourself, using expressions like “When I was your age” to convey a genuine dialogue. Individuals who have interacted with Future You reported reduced anxiety about the future and an enhanced connection with their future self after just 30 minutes, as evidenced by studies.

Furthermore, the system generates an age-progressed image of you, facilitating a clearer visualization of your potential appearance in the future. By conversing with and seeing your future self, you can gain deeper insights into how your present decisions impact your long-term objectives.

Future You is ment to prompt contemplation and improve decision-making, offering a means to consider the future without feeling overwhelmed. Users are reminded by the AI that the future it presents is just one of many possibilities, and that they hold the power to shape their future through present choices.

The researchers at MIT are committed to refining the system and exploring its potential to assist individuals in contemplating career paths and addressing global concerns such as climate change. Future You offers a fresh perspective on considering the future, enabling users to view themselves and their lives from a different angle.

This AI tool aim to encourage individuals to make decisions and take charge of their future