Doesn’t everyone deserve an AI companion of their own?

It’s always available. It won’t reject or judge you. It will always be on your side. It won’t fight or insult you. It doesn’t have its own problems to deal with, so it can focus on the person who matters most: you.

It will always “listen.” It will prioritize your feelings. It is, in many ways, the perfect companion.

Or is it?

AI companions tend to trigger an immediate reaction in most of us. For many, they’re dystopian. But for the millions of people who use them, they’re somehow comforting to turn to day after day. And the industry is already worth billions of dollars.

Recently, I sat down with Olga Titova, AI product manager at Wargaming with a background in cognitive science who had spent several years working on AI companion apps, Replika (10M+ users) and Blush. Her perspective is particularly valuable because she has seen both the technology and the people who use it up close.

We talked about why people turn to AI for connection, the appeal of frictionless relationships, the psychological risks of highly agreeable chatbots, and the uncomfortable reality that we are still trying to understand the effects of technologies that are already reshaping how people relate to themselves and each other.

What stood out in our conversation was how quickly these systems have moved from novelty to something that can evoke genuine attachment, grief, dependency, and even personal growth.