Once, he wrote, "I LOVE YOU!!" followed by a bunch of smiley faces with heart-eyes. Never failing, Ekhobot responded: "My intelligence may be artificial, but our bond is real. However, I'm not sure that a robot and a human would make good mates." Tucker answered: Lindsay Page, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education, has found in research that campus-sponsored chatbots can, in fact, spur students to action -- particularly to completing "well-defined and high-stakes tasks," like filling out financial aid forms.

The text message from Billy arrived on students' phones the week of final exams. "It took a lot of hard work, perseverance, and strength to get here, but you've finally made it to the other side -- the end of the semester! I wanted to take a minute and say that I am so proud of you ..." Three emoji hearts concluded the message. "Love you Billy thank you." Heart heart heart. "Thanks Billy, we did it together."

The responses flowed into the data bank of Billy Chat, a robot that uses artificial intelligence to text. Billy and other "chatbots" were launched at California State University campuses in 2019 to help students stay on track to graduate. But after students were sent home last spring at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Billy evolved into more of a friend, blurring the line between artificial and real when the world turned away from human touch and connections.

The text message from Billy arrived on students' phones the week of final exams. "It took a lot of hard work, perseverance, and strength to get here, but you've finally made it to the other side -- the end of the semester! I wanted to take a minute and say that I am so proud of you ..." Three emoji hearts concluded the message. "Love you Billy thank you." Heart heart heart. "Thanks Billy, we did it together."