[ExI] AI companions are the final stage of digital addiction

[BillK]

AI companions are the final stage of digital addiction, and lawmakers
are taking aim

Designed to be the perfect person—always available, never critical—AI
companions are hooking people deeper than social media ever could.
They make the attention economy look like a relic.
By James O'Donnell        April 8, 2025
<https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/04/08/1114369/ai-companions-are-the-final-stage-of-digital-addiction-and-lawmakers-are-taking-aim/>

Quote:
You might think that such AI companionship bots—AI models with
distinct “personalities” that can learn about you and act as a friend,
lover, cheerleader, or more—appeal only to a fringe few, but that
couldn’t be further from the truth.

In an interview with podcast host Lex Fridman, Eugenia Kuyda, the CEO
of the companion site Replika, explained the appeal at the heart of
the company’s product. “If you create something that is always there
for you, that never criticizes you, that always understands you and
understands you for who you are,” she said, “how can you not fall in
love with that?”
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Indeed!   BillK