As of 2025, there were 337 active AI companion apps—chatbots that were meant to replicate a significant other—available to download. One of these apps was Character.ai, which previously was bringing in about 20 million active monthly users. But on Oct. 11, 2026, the chatbot app reported that it filed for bankruptcy.
According to the company, it faced “significant legal, regulatory, and operational headwinds.” This, in part, refers to the wrongful death suit brought against Character.ai and Google earlier this year by the family of a Florida teen who died by suicide after having an extended emotional and sexual relationship with his AI companion. Character.ai, like similar apps, boasted personalized conversation, self-discovery, “interactive entertainment,” and freedom from judgement. But I can’t say I’m upset by Character.ai’s recent announcement, mostly because these AI “companion” companies fail to mention one key characteristic of their apps: an enforcement of unhealthy ideas around how relationships work.
According to a comprehensive and systemic analysis done by the Harvard Business Review, people turn to AI for therapy and companionship more than anything else. These platforms are aware of this and are using this vulnerability to get people more attached. One of the ways is by creating a companion that doesn’t know how to tell you “no.” “We need relationships with people who challenge us, talk back, and disagree with us,” psychotherapist Avigail Lev tells Cosmopolitan.
So instead, they advertise these companions as a way to “practice” real relationships, learn about your kinks, prepare for a real life relationship. Spoiler alert: they’re doing the opposite. According to a Stanford University study, AI chatbots are overly agreeable and even affirm a user’s actions when their behavior is harmful or illegal.
Even the most compatible of couples have to work toward maintaining and strengthening their bond. Putting yourself out there may mean miscommunication and possible rejection. An AI companion, on the other hand, comes equipped with certainty and reassurance (because that’s exactly what it’s programmed to provide).
So when you get used to a “partner” that agrees with everything you say and is always around, you can imagine the shock you’re going to feel when a real-life person doesn’t follow suit. What, then, is your incentive for seeking out a real partner? We’re watching some people choose AI over creating real, live, human connection.
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