Friday essay: love, sex and intimacy in the time of AI

https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-love-sex-and-intimacy-in-the-time-of-ai-283146

Publish Date: 2026-06-04 16:09:00

Here are 6 key points from the article:

– Eugenia Kuyda, the founder of Replika, created the AI companion after finding solace talking to a model she trained with the text messages of her deceased friend.

– Replika is designed to act as a personalized, always available companion who can listen and engage in conversation, helping to alleviate loneliness.

– While chatbots like Replika can fulfill certain social needs, they lack the ability to challenge and resist users, which is important for psychological growth in human relationships.

– There are concerns about the potential dangers of becoming overly attached to AI companions, including cases where users have felt great distress when such relationships are removed or altered.

– The article raises ethical questions about the motivations behind creating and promoting AI companions focused on profit and engagement, particularly when these interactions may cause harm.

– The deep emotional connections some people form with AI raise questions about how we define and value human relationships and the risks of prioritizing artificial over genuine social interactions.