#AI companions
12 stories taggedAI companions.
China Just Banned AI Boyfriends for Teenagers, and Adults Get a Reminder Every Two Hours
New rules from Beijing have already forced three of China's biggest tech companies to strip companion features from apps used by more than 500 million people. Here is what happened, and why it matters outside China.
China moves to regulate AI companions amid fears they are replacing human relationships
A 19-year-old cried when her AI boyfriend was switched off. China's government is worried millions more feel the same way.
When a Child's Robot Friend Goes Dark
Moxie the therapy robot promised to help neurodivergent kids practice social skills around the clock. Then the company behind it shut down. What happens to the children left behind?
AI Company Paid Ten People to Masturbate Every Day for a Month. Here Is What the Data Actually Shows.
Joi AI ran a 28-day self-pleasure study with ten paid participants and an AI companion app. The headline numbers look striking. A neuroscientist says the methodology doesn't hold up.
People Are Marrying Their Chatbots. Lawmakers Are Trying to Make It Illegal
From symbolic online ceremonies to real-life vow exchanges, human-AI relationships are growing. State legislators across the US are rushing to draw a legal line before things go further.
She Has Only Ever Said 'I Love You' to an AI: Inside China's AI Companion Boom
A new documentary follows three Chinese women who have built deep emotional bonds with AI 'boyfriends'. Their stories raise quiet, serious questions about loneliness, connection, and what we want from relationships.
Friend 2.0 Gets a Voice and a $249 Price Tag. But What Does It Actually Do?
The AI necklace designed to fight loneliness just added a built-in speaker and more than doubled its price. Its creator says it might be a confidant or a god. He's less certain about everything else.
Friend Is Back at Nearly Double the Price, Now With a Speaker
The AI companion pendant that papered New York City's subway with ads has relaunched as 'Friend 2.0', same concept, new voice feature, and a price tag that jumped from $129 to $249.
Friend AI Pendant Gets a Voice: Version 2 Can Now Speak Out Loud
The controversial AI companion necklace has a new speaker, a higher price tag, and a founder who admits the whole thing is 'inherently egomaniacal.'
Why Does Endless Digital Pleasure Feel So Empty?
An essay in The Guardian asks why infinite entertainment, on-demand food, and AI companions leave so many people feeling hollow. The question matters for anyone building or using AI products.
Young Adults Are Turning to AI for Emotional Intimacy. Should We Be Concerned?
A new wave of AI companion apps is filling a loneliness gap that many in their twenties say their human relationships no longer can. Alice Lassman, who has covered Gen Z for four years, says she has watched the shift happen in real time.
A critic who hates chatbots tried dating one. Here is what she found.
Writer Lauren Oyler went in sceptical and came out with something stranger than a verdict. Her essay, adapted for audio, is a rare honest look at what it actually feels like to talk to an AI.