The AI That Feels Just Human Enough
How AI Companions Are Shaping Loneliness and Changing the Way We Relate to Ourselves and Each Other
Eleven years ago, the movie Her introduced Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a man who falls in love with an AI, Samatha (Scarlett Johansson). I left the theater that day struck by how plausible it seemed that we’d soon have AI companions not just in our ears—but in our hearts.
Fast forward to now, and they're here. AI companions are no longer fiction; they have evolved into emotional coaches, therapists, and friends. After various conversations alongside conferences I’ve recently attended in Malmö, Bucharest, and Amsterdam, and hosting a discussion alongside a screening of Her with the ReSee Movies community in Berlin, I’ve been reflecting a lot about AI companionship and what it reveals about our moments of loneliness and disconnection—from ourselves, each other, and the world.
In recent years, techno-solutionism and consumer-driven societies have commodified connection itself. AI companions are thriving in what’s predicted to be the "loneliness economy," expected to scale from $30 …
