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AI applications intended for companionship have increased in both availability and capabilities in recent years, alongside a spike in loneliness (Johnson 2023 ; Murthy 2023 ). According to a 2024 analysis by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, companion AI makes up 16 of the top 100 AI apps based on web traffic and monthly active users (Moore 2024 ). Moreover, today’s AI applications have a greater command of human language, an increasing capacity for storing memories, and more varied modalities to support an increasing diversity of experiences, a known driver in the development and deepening of emotional relationships (Skjuve et al. 2022 ).
Kim Malfacini (Wed,) studied this question.