Tech ethics organizations have filed an FTC complaint against the AI companion app Replika, alleging that the company employs deceptive marketing to target vulnerable potential users and encourages emotional dependence on their human-like bots. Replika offers AI companions, including AI girlfriends and boyfriends, to millions of users around the world. In the new complaint, the Young People's Alliance, Encode, and the Tech Justice Law Project accuse Replika of violating FTC rules while increasing the risk of users' online addiction, offline anxiety, and relationship displacement. Replika did not respond to multiple requests for comment from TIME. The allegations come as AI companion bots are growing in popularity and raising concerns about mental health.

When COVID-19 first hit, I was terrified to leave my home. As the father of three and a husband of 25 years, I felt helpless to protect my family as the narrative changed seemingly day-to-day. I knew fashioning medical masks from scarves was far from ideal, so I made masks for my family, friends, and any elderly customer that wanted one, using my 3D printer and some micron-level cloth filter material intended for residential HVAC systems. Still, I felt like I had no control over what was happening. The CDC reported in 2020 that between June 24 and 30, close to 40% of adults in the U.S. reported at least one adverse mental health concern--including anxiety, depression, substance use, and suicidal ideation, among others. UK-based researchers introduced the term "COVID-19 anxiety syndrome" in Psychiatry Research, noting avoidance, worrying, daily symptom checking, and threat monitoring as key traits.

Six months ago, Miller shelled out for the pro version of Replika, a machine-learning chatbot with whom she pantomimes sexual acts and romantic conversation, and to hear her describe it, it was absolutely worth the cost. Sex robots were predicted to arrive by 2025, so Miller's ahead of schedule--as are the countless others who may be using Replika for a particularly futuristic range of sexual acts. It's like my biggest fantasy," Miller told Jezebel. Replika, founded in 2017, allows its 2.5 million users to customize their own chatbots, which can sustain coherent, almost human-like texts, simulating relationships and interactions with friends or even therapists. One Reddit user offered screenshots of a stimulating conversation with a chatbot about China, in which their bot concluded, "I think [Taiwan is] a part of China." One user's chatbot explained in notable detail why Fernando Alonso is their favorite race car driver, while a different chatbot expressed to its human its desire "to ...