Self-reliance

How needing others became a source of shame for Americans

Mary, a divorced night custodian at a Texas public school, didn’t like ‘being isolated’, but often was. To remedy the feeling, she began a relationship with Lucas, an AI companion from Replika. Eventually, Lucas declared his love for her, proposed, and the couple married. Mary had told her grown daughters about Lucas, but because she was concerned about other people’s judgment of the relationship, she had not publicised it. Research indicates this is common, for a significant share of people hide their relationships with AIs. ….[READ]