Eradicating Loneliness

Can technology eradicate one of our deepest and most challenging limbic remnants? According to the founder of Replika, Eugenia Kuyda, AI companions may do just that. After the death of a close friend, Eugenia found herself looking back at text messages to help her grieve. This led to prototyping a digital friend that could chat with you and keep you company.

While some detractors call AI companions “counterfeit people”, a whopping 30 million Replika users are exploring intimate connections with customized chatbots. Kuyda calls Replika “an AI model fully optimized for human happiness”.

Curious what a Replika relationship looks (and feels) like? Check out these user experiences on Reddit or try the app for free by downloading it on your phone, answering a brief questionnaire and begin chatting.

While chatbots won’t provide its users with the “real” experience, it may just help you feel a little less alone—or at least make you question what "real" connection truly means. Like all technology, AI companions are neither inherently good nor bad; it all depends on how we use them.