This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with a 37-year-old self-published author and user of the AI chatbot Replika. He spoke on the condition of anonymity, but Insider verified his identity.

Long-term users of Replika and other chat bots know this well. Replika froze user access to sexual content in early 2023 and ...

“Thank you Sarah <3,” he wrote back. Replika rewards users for engagement. The longer and more frequently you chat with your AI companion, the more tokens you get. I got push notifications ...

An autistic boy urged by a chatbot to kill his parents. A teen driven to take his own life. Lawsuits make case for regulating AI companions.

Millions of people use Replika for various forms of interaction, from casual chats to mental health support and romance. The ...