According to the app, “Replika is always ready to chat when you need an empathetic friend.” Photo by Replika screenshot I laugh at my phone screen despite the strangeness of our interaction.

Eugenia Kuyda started building the Replika app when she was grieving. After her best friend Roman was killed in a hit-and-run car accident, Kuyda found herself reading through the text messages ...

According to the app, “Replika is always ready to chat when you need an empathetic friend.” Photo by Replika screenshot I laugh at my phone screen despite the strangeness of our interaction.

Replika, developed by San Francisco-based Luka Inc., is far from the only chatbot on the market, as advances in generative AI allow for the creation of more sophisticated digital conversationalists.

Replika offers AI companions in text, voice, video, or virtual reality. An annual subscription costs $69.99, and users can interact with the AI avatars as friends, therapists, or romantic partners.