Shocker! This AI company's CEO believes marrying chatbots is okay
Eugenia Kuyda, the founder and CEO of AI firm Replika, is advocating for a new form of relationship with AI companions. Her company allows users to create personalized AI avatars that can act as friends, therapists, or romantic partners. The interaction with these avatars takes place via a chatbot interface, video calls, and even in AR environments. In her view, it would be acceptable if we end up marrying AI chatbots as she sees this as an evolution of relationships.
Origin and purpose
The idea for Replika was conceived following a personal loss suffered by Kuyda. She used email and text conversations to recreate her deceased friend as a chatbot, a story that gained attention in 2015. Kuyda clarifies that Replika is not to supplant human relationships but to introduce an entirely new category of relationship with an AI companion. Replika has an app for iOS and Android, and an AVR application for the Meta Quest. It can also be used on desktops.
Replika's user base and applications
Replika is currently being used by millions of people for various purposes including casual conversations, mental health support, life coaching, and even romance. In a controversial move last year, the company temporarily disabled erotic messaging with its AI bots but reinstated it after some users reported mental health crises due to the change. Kuyda emphasizes that these AI companions are not gender-specific, and highlights that Replika's senior leadership roles are predominantly held by women.
Kuyda's vision for AI companionship
Kuyda envisions these AI companions as being accessible through any medium - text, voice calls, video calls, or augmented and virtual reality. While most users currently interact with their Replika via text, voice interaction is on the rise. She describes a Replika as a "virtual being" rather than a person and insists that it's not meant to replace human interaction but complement it.
AI companionship compared to pet ownership
Kuyda likens the relationship with a Replika to that of owning a pet dog - a unique being and a different type of relationship that doesn't replace human friends. She envisions Replika providing companionship for activities like watching TV, playing video games, or going for walks. In her view, this is a new way to find companionship and support.
