About this episode

The episode discusses the emotional implications of using chatbots as companions with guest Bridget Todd.

Go to https://surfshark.com/404Media or use code 404Media at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark! Tech companies want you to believe that the chatbots they profit from are the always ready, never judgemental, constantly affirming friend in our pockets. But are the people using them as companions under some kind of deep self-delusion? Or are they seeking something else?  This week I’m joined by Bridget Todd. Among many other projects and accomplishments, Bridget is the creator and host of the award winning podcast There Are No Girls on the Internet, is a Fellow at the MacArthur Foundation, and an affiliate at Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. Her new audiobook, Love at First Prompt: AI and the Future of Intimacy, launched in July with coauthor Michael Amato. We talk about her work interviewing people who use chatbots to fill an emotional need, how people who engage in romantic, intimate and erotic roleplay with LLMs are mocked for it, and how tech companies are implicated in all of this. In her new book, you’ll hear from experts in the field of AI companionship, but also from people who have nuanced, interesting interactions with…

People in this episode

Host: 404 Media

Guest: Bridget Todd

Topics covered

• AI companionship
• emotional needs
• technology and relationships
• chatbots
• intimacy
• self-delusion

Keywords

• AI
• chatbots
• emotional support
• intimacy
• technology
• relationships
• self-discovery

Sponsors

Surfshark

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: 404 Media, MacArthur Foundation, Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society

Books & works: Love at First Prompt: AI and the Future of Intimacy, There Are No Girls on the Internet

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