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When Imaginary Friends Go Digital

Dispatches from the burgeoning age of AI companions.

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We’re living through one of the loneliest periods in American history. But what some see as a social crisis, a handful of tech companies see as a business opportunity. Enter AI girlfriends, a social network of attentive bots, and a digital companion industry determined to disrupt human connection.

Although some studies have shown benefits of “social robots”—especially for older adults—a growing body of research suggests that these technological advances can have an adverse impact on mental health and introduce concerns about data privacy, misinformation, and bias.

And yet, each day, friends are made—and, well, made. Read on for first-person accounts of how this growing movement, and its consequences, show up in daily life.

Image by Andriy Onufriyenko / Getty Images