‘I’m suddenly so angry!’ My strange, unnerving week with an AI ‘friend’; The Guardian, October 22, 2025

Madeleine Aggeler , The Guardian; ‘I’m suddenly so angry!’ My strange, unnerving week with an AI ‘friend’

"Do people really want an AI friend? Despite all the articles about individuals falling in love with chatbots, research shows most people are wary of AI companionship. A recent Ipsos poll found 59% of Britons disagreed “that AI is a viable substitute for human interactions”. And in the US, a 2025 Pew survey found that 50% of adults think AI will worsen people’s ability to form meaningful relationships.

I wanted to see for myself what it would be like to have a tiny robot accompanying me all day, so I ordered a Friend ($129) and wore it for a week."