Today, I’m talking with Replika founder and CEO Eugenia Kuyda, and I will just tell you right away, we get all the way to people marrying their AI companions, so get ready. It’s a ride.

Replika’s basic pitch is pretty simple: what if you had an AI friend? The company offers avatars you can curate to your liking that pretend to be human, so they can be your friend, your therapist, or even your date. That’s a lot for a private company running an iPhone app, and Eugenia and I talked a lot about the consequences of this idea and what it means for the future of human relationships. 

Links: 

• The AI boyfriend business is booming | Axios
  


• Speak, Memory | The Verge
  


• Your new AI Friend is almost ready to meet you | Verge
  


• What happens when sexting chatbots dump their human lovers | Bloomberg
  


• AI chatbot company Replika restores erotic roleplay for some users — Reuters
  


• Replika’s New AI App Is Like Tinder but With Sexy Chatbots — Gizmodo
  


• Replika’s new AI therapy app tries to bring you to a zen island — The Verge
  


• Replika CEO: AI chatbots aren’t just for lonely men | Fortune
  


• Gaze Into the Dystopian Hell of Bots Dating Bots | Slate
  

Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23980789

Credits:

Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Callie Wright. Our supervising producer is Liam James.

The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices