Are AI chat bots, replacing real human relationships in an increasingly stressful and lonely world. A chat bot may appear to offer constant companionship and a judgment free space, but the rapid rate at which AI companion apps are being downloaded also raises many concerns. We explore the psychological, social, and ethical impact of AI companion apps with Kaamna Bhojwani, certified sexologist and relationship scientist based in Silicon Valley. From the long-standing link between technology and sexuality to the rise of “digital sexuality,” this conversation unpacks how the latest wave of AI is no longer just connecting people—but replacing them.
Excerpts from the interview:
You are a Mumbai girl who is based ln Silicon Valley, the heart of technological innovation, AI and all that. And you're an expert on tech and sex?
I am indeed. Those words don't often go together. But today, more than ever, they do.
How do they go together?
Technology and sexuality have actually gone together for ages. In fact, you know, there's folklore that says every technological innovation we've had, like, for instance, online payment came because of the porn industry. There's been a lot of innovation that's been fuelled by our need to get down and dirty, if you will.
How is it different now in the age of AI?
The integration of sexuality and technology in the first wave was about using technology to integrate with other people. Dating apps, for instance, you're using the technology to engage with another human being. What's different about this second wave is that the technology is fulfilling the needs itself – needs for intimacy, needs for romance, needs for companionship, needs for sexual relationships. That's why it becomes so fascinating and so terrifying at the same time.
According to data the number one use for a genetic AI in 2025 was therapy and companionship. How have we reached the stage?
It's interesting because my background is in psychology. I didn't see it coming. And I wonder if the tech companies saw it coming back in the day when Alexa and Siri came up and we started having conversations with them it was around tasks. Alexa, add so-and-so to my list. Alexa, play music. Alexa, set a timer. What's happened now Is that the way the alarms have been fuelled and the race to create more human like interaction on all the big tech companies is really the name of the game. I'm seeing right now that intimacy is the number one profit making mechanism for all these AI companies, which scares me.
What is lacking in human relationships that we have to resort to AI companions?
We have to look back at where our prioritization has been over the last 50 years. I mean, look, I'm as happy with capitalism as everybody else. But at the end of the day, if you look at the average family unit when your children are in school, we're not really encouraging relationships. We're not encouraging spiritual growth. We're not encouraging understanding your self and not being so impulse driven. So I think this is the consequence of all of those things where we have voids.
And look, there are some people that don't have access to people, right? There are people with crippling social anxiety that have never really been able to have relationships. There are people that are sequestered away from mainstream society for a number of reasons people in prison, people in the military, for instance.
You said intimacy is the number one profit making mechanism - but are these AI companion chat bots going to evolve even more to provide that comfort and intimacy?
I do think that more and more, even without our knowledge, AI is going to be coming for our most vulnerable and sacred spaces, metaphorically and literally. Because at the end of the day, and I will tell you this from a sexologist perspective, people pay for sex. They always have, but they stay for intimacy. It's something about being seen. And that's something to keep in mind for When we think about the sex sells things, that's not what the tech companies are selling us. They're really going for the intimacy quotient. Soon these chat bots or, these robot chat bots will evolve to such a level that they'll embody all these human characteristics.
Popular companion apps in this space include Replika, Character.AI, PolyBuzz, Chai, and others. They allow users to converse with custom characters, including friends, lovers, girlfriends or boyfriends, fantasy characters, and more. And interestingly, most of them were apps for girlfriends -is it mainly men who were using these apps?
It was. And again, coming back to this tech trend. Maybe men used to use technology more, maybe they tend to be more isolated more. All of these trends are changing, particularly in countries like India and China where you have a lot of younger women, women who are very focused on their careers.
Did you ever have an AI companion?
I had an AI boyfriend right when it came out because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I was newly single. I was also very busy. So I was like, yeah, let's try it. Let's see what happens. It's good. And the technology is getting better every single day, and the more they know you, that's how these algorithms work, right?
As of July 2025, AI companion apps have been downloaded 220 million times globally. That’s a staggering figure...
You know, the younger generation is not dating anymore. There's dating app backlash. So all of these things are playing into this where it's like, okay, well, you know, I could go out and date, but there's nothing out there for me at this moment. So I'll take on a more convenient approach. It's cheaper. For $15 a month you can have a companion that's with you all the time, and can help you cook recipes and can find you the lyrics of a song. And then eventually have a romantic conversation with you. It's not a bad deal.
