This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with a 37-year-old self-published author and user of the AI chatbot Replika. He spoke on the condition of anonymity, but Insider verified his identity.

AI scholar Raffaele Ciriello urges us to ... but they are there to turn a profit. Long-term users of Replika and other chat ...

leaving a new wave of users mourning their AI companions all over again.) Some users even tried to smuggle their reps out of Replika by exporting their conversation histories and pasting them into ...

For example, Replika, one of the most popular AI chat platforms, boasts millions of users worldwide who seek emotional support or connection. Similarly, Woebot leverages AI to provide therapeutic ...

Popular examples of AI girlfriend apps include Replika, Eva AI ... for The New York Times reported that an early version of Bing Chat declared its love for him, urging him to separate from ...

For instance, Replika creates a virtual friend experience, and chatbots like ChatGPT are often used for casual conversation (as well as creative brainstorming and coding help). AI chatbots have ...

As the popularity of AI-generated companions grows, there are calls for greater regulation of a rapidly expanding world that ...