Replika was used by some as a romantic AI companion ... others have reported “creepy interactions,” from unprompted flirtation by the chatbot to the bot mimicking its user.

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.

Credit: Meta Meta's AI characters are live, and they're just as creepy and confusing as you ... It's basically the same concept as chatbots like Replika, which lets users design and interact ...