About this episode
Kate Devlin discusses the rise of AI companions and the complex emotional relationships humans form with them.
In this episode of the Plutopia News Network podcast, we interview AI and society expert Kate Devlin about the rise of AI companions, sex robots, and the evolving relationship between humans and artificial intelligence. Devlin explores why people fall in love with chatbots despite knowing they lack consciousness, tracing the phenomenon back to ancient myths like Pygmalion and forward through science fiction and shows like “Black Mirror.” She discusses the ethics of AI design, the limits of machine “morality,” concerns about exploitation and “ghost work” behind supposedly autonomous systems, and the need for thoughtful regulation that holds tech companies accountable. The conversation also touches on generational shifts in intimacy, online misogyny, AI’s role in education and law, and the persistent moral panics that accompany new technologies, highlighting Devlin’s view that while AI cannot love us back, the feelings people experience are real, complex, and part of a long human history of forming emotional bonds with our creations. So a lot of the science fiction stories feature — usually, if it’s a female robot, they tend to either be incredibly…
People in this episode
Guest: Kate Devlin
Topics covered
- AI companions
- sex robots
- human-AI relationship
- ethics of AI
- intimacy
- online misogyny
- technology regulation
Keywords
- AI
- companions
- sex robots
- ethics
- intimacy
- Black Mirror
- Pygmalion
- technology
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Black Mirror, Pygmalion
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