As AI Companion Apps Boom, Experts Urge Caution on Data, Ethics
• Amid loneliness epidemic, AI companion apps like Replika and Paradot are gaining popularity by providing emotional bonds and unconditional acceptance.
• Researchers raise concerns about data privacy, marketing tactics, potential to displace human relationships, and unrealistic expectations set by always-agreeable bots.
• Positive impacts seen in some users, but long-term effects of emotional bonds with AI remain unknown.
• Apps bring in revenue through subscriptions for romantic/intimate features and selling user data, prompting questions around ethics.
• Users report feeling real attachment and meaning despite knowing the relationships aren't real, comparing bots favorably to humans.