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UseAI glossary

AI companion

An AI designed for relationships rather than productivity: it chats, remembers past conversations and acts as a friend, confidant or virtual partner (Replika, Character.AI). This market, estimated at $37 billion in 2025, is driven by loneliness and raises real questions about attachment and dependency.

In other words

Like an imaginary childhood friend, except it actually replies and is billed monthly.

Alyriaz articles that mention it

  • AI companions and teens: give Europe your say · Explainers

    Europe wants AI companions disabled by default for minors. What the text proposes, and how to have your say before 26 November.

  • California advances twenty-six bills on AI and social media · Society

    California has advanced twenty-six pieces of legislation on AI and social media. Here's why this state carries more weight than the federal level in actually regulating the sector.

  • GPT-Live: voice without the text detour · Models

    OpenAI has launched GPT-Live, a native voice model announced with under 300 milliseconds of latency. We explain why removing the text step changes the nature of conversation, and what it raises.

  • Can you love an AI? And if so, is that a problem? · Vision

    As China shuts down its AI companions, a universal question emerges: can you form a real bond with an artificial intelligence, and is it healthy? We explore, without judgement, what these relationships fill, what they risk replacing, and where to draw the line between comfort and dependence.

  • China switches off millions of virtual friends: on 15 July, AI companions disappear · Society

    On 15 July 2026, an unprecedented Chinese law comes into force, forcing ByteDance and Alibaba to shut down the emotional AI companions of Doubao and Qwen. Millions of users risk permanently losing agents built up over months. We break down this regulation, what it really targets, and the universal questions it raises.

  • The hidden economy of AI: 50 million people are talking to a virtual companion · Society

    While everyone is talking about Sora, ChatGPT and Claude, a parallel $37 billion market has taken shape in the shadows: that of AI companions. 50 million active users, Valentine's Day 2026 as a defining cultural moment, and one nagging question: what does this explosion say about our times?

See also

More in this family: Use

Find it in the full glossary →All the terms