AI girlfriends are here – but there’s a dark side to virtual companions | Arwa Mahdawi

Creators of these chatbots often tout them as a way to combat loneliness, but they can create unhealthy attachments and affect gender roles

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a computer must be in want of an AI girlfriend. Certainly a lot of enterprising individuals seem to think there's a lucrative market for digital romance. OpenAI recently launched its GPT Store, where paid ChatGPT users can buy and sell customized chatbots (think Apple's app store, but for chatbots) - and the offerings include a large selection of digital girlfriends.