In a preliminary user study, participants who interacted with Future You for around 30 minutes reported feeling reduced anxiety levels and a heightened connection with their future selves.
“While we may not have a physical time machine, AI serves as a virtual alternative. This simulation can empower individuals to reflect on the implications of their daily choices,” remarks Pat Pataranutaporn, a doctoral graduate from MIT’s Media Lab and co-lead author of a study on Future You.
Alongside Pat, co-authors include Kavin Winson from KASIKORN Labs, undergraduate Peggy Yin from Harvard University, and several others from KASIKORN Labs and leading academic institutions. The findings will be shared at the IEEE Conference on Frontiers in Education.
Creating a Realistic Simulation
The exploration of how individuals conceptualize their future selves dates back to the 1960s. Initial strategies included writing letters to one’s future self, evolving into modern methods such as using virtual reality to visualize future identities. However, these previous methods lacked interactivity, limiting their effectiveness.
With the rise of generative AI and large language models like ChatGPT, researchers have harnessed this technology to create an engaging simulated future self that can discuss personal goals in a conversational format.
“The realism of the simulation is unparalleled. Future You presents a narrative that is far more intricate than what someone could randomly picture about their future self,” explains Maes.
To kick off the experience, users respond to questions regarding their current lifestyles, values, and aspirations. The AI then generates “future self memories,” providing a narrative backdrop for these interactions.
For instance, the AI might share highlights from a fictional future career or discuss how the user overcame specific challenges. This is made possible because ChatGPT has been trained on a vast dataset of personal stories and experiences.
Users engage through two perspectives: introspection, where they reflect on their life goals, and retrospection, contemplating the alignment between the simulation and their envisioned future selves, as noted by Yin.
“Think of Future You as a narrative exploration. It offers a lens through which emotionally charged experiences can evolve over time,” she adds.
To enhance visualization, the system generates an age-progressed image of the user and uses storytelling techniques, incorporating phrases like “when I was your age” to make the simulation relatable and engaging.
Receiving guidance from an older version of oneself, rather than a generic AI, can have a more pronounced positive effect on those grappling with uncertainty about the future, asserts Hershfield.
“This platform’s interactive and vivid nature provides users with a tangible reference point, shifting anxious contemplation into meaningful dialogue,” he observes.
However, the realism must be balanced. To avoid steering users toward negative outcomes, Future You clarifies that it represents one of many potential futures, empowering users with the knowledge they can forge their own paths. Different responses to the initial queries lead to unique interactive experiences.
“This is not a prediction but rather a possibility,” Pataranutaporn emphasizes.
Encouraging Personal Growth
To assess Future You’s impact, researchers conducted a study involving 344 participants, with some engaging with the system for 10–30 minutes while others interacted with a generic chatbot or completed only surveys.
Analysis of the responses revealed that those who used Future You formed a deeper connection with their ideal future selves and reported decreased anxiety regarding their future. Furthermore, users felt the conversation was authentic and their values and beliefs were consistent with the identities they simulated.
“This research merges established psychological techniques with cutting-edge AI, offering a new trajectory for academics aiming to bridge the gap between virtual self-models and language processing technologies,” states Jeremy Bailenson, a professor of communication at Stanford University, who did not participate in this research.
Building on the findings from this initial user engagement, the team is refining their methodologies to better prime users for insightful conversations that strengthen future self-continuity.
“We aim to guide discussions toward meaningful topics rather than trivial inquiries,” Pataranutaporn shares.
The researchers are also implementing safeguards to prevent misuse, such as ensuring that companies don’t exploit the tool to create biased “future yous” for marketing purposes.
As they move forward, the researchers plan to explore specific applications of Future You, possibly allowing users to investigate different career paths or understand how their daily decisions could influence larger issues, like climate change.
In addition, they will gather user feedback to enhance system usability.
“Our goal isn’t to create dependency but to provide a transformative experience that encourages self-reflection and development,” concludes Maes.
Photo credit & article inspired by: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
