The Latest Breaking News from Replika

The people who don’t want their AI chatbots to die when they do: ‘I can’t have the switch turned off’

Humans bonded to AI companions are contemplating ways to keep their bots going – often in defiance of companies’ terms and services

The Guardian - US · 21h ago

‘It’s more than backcombing a beehive!’ How tribute acts got massive – and put the live music scene back in the black

Versions of Amy Winehouse and hundreds of other musicians are generating millions for beleaguered UK venues. But what is the emotional toll for the imitators, and are they pushing out original artists?

The Guardian - UK · Jul 24

I created an AI boyfriend. He was charming — and deeply troubling

Relationships between people and AI companions created on platforms such as Replika, Charater.AI and Nomi AI are increasingly common — for both adults and an increasing number of teenagers.

The Conversation · Jul 21

Cyber brothels, AI girlfriends, and VR intimacy: How worried should we be about the sex tech industry?

IN FOCUS: No kids, no animals. But inside Europe’s first cyber brothel, which uses a combination of sex dolls and AI to cater to its users’ demands, pretty much anything else goes. Olivia Petter explores the growth of today’s new tech-augmented sex scene, and asks what the rise in AI…

The Independent UK · May 24, 2025

ChatGPT might be making frequent users more lonely, study by OpenAI and MIT Media Lab suggests

Relying on ChatGPT for companionship or advice? It might be making you lonelier.

Fortune · Mar 24, 2025

The AI sexbot industry is just getting started. It brings strange new questions – and risks

Artificial intelligence (AI) is getting personal. Chatbots are designed to imitate human interactions, and the rise of realistic voice chat is leading many users to form emotional attachments or laugh along with virtual podcast hosts.

The Conversation · Oct 14, 2024

When Your Lover Is a Bot

Artificial intimacy is taking over the dating world—and leaving us lonelier

The Walrus · Oct 4, 2024

Computer love: AI-powered chatbots are changing how we understand romantic and sexual well-being

Over the past decade, virtual assistants powered by artificial intelligence, like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, have become integral to technologies such as smartphones and social media.

The Conversation · Jul 7, 2024

AI chatbots aren't just for lonely men

AI chatbots are stereotyped as for lonely men. But Replika’s CEO says the products are ‘built by women’

Fortune · Jun 17, 2024

‘They thought they were doing good but it made people worse’: why mental health apps are under scrutiny

As experts worry over privacy issues, ineffectiveness and even harm, the UK is looking at whether the plethora of digital mental health tools need regulating

The Guardian - UK · Feb 4, 2024