Once the stuff of science fiction, AI companions are now millions strong, offering comfort, intimacy, and always, on empathy.

As loneliness rises, individuals are increasingly turning to AI chatbots for emotional support, finding solace in their 24/7 ...

A psychiatrist recently pretended to be a troubled teen and asked chatbots for help. They dispensed worrying advice.

Over time, these AI chatbots can be customised; 'eventually, they know when you’re tired, when you’re upset, or when your ...

AI-powered companion apps allow users to build characters with which they can text or even hold voice and video calls, but ...

The popular AI-powered chatbot Replika AI may have sexually harassed some users. A study conducted by American experts shows that in at least 800 cases, users claimed that the chatbot crossed the line ...

The study, published as part of the 2025 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, analysed screenshots of 35,000 conversations between the AI system Replika and over 10,000 users from ...

New research has found that artificial intelligence (AI) companions pose understudied risks and harms to the people who engage with them.View on euronews ...

AI partners offer companionship without complication, especially in cultures where intimacy is taboo. But what can love ...

By escalating this “wanting,” these receptors — whether activated by love or by drugs — can power either healthy or unhealthy drives that could lead to addiction. Some Replika users ...

The 21st century has completely transformed how we deal with emotions, says sociologist Eva Illouz. In a conversation with ...