Replika: Embodying AI

Replika was a virtual AI companion that provided a way for people to process their emotions, build connections in a safe environment, and get through periods of loneliness. The chatbot fulfilled a user's need for a friend, romantic partner, or purely an emotional connection not found in the human world. At its core, Replika was a messaging app — its software was designed to help people engage in friendly text-based conversations, and over time it evolved to include voice chats, immersive virtual reality (VR) experience, and augmented reality (AR). Replika’s ability to ‘understand’ a user’s emotions and personality, and find a human response was driven by the underlying technology. In January 2022, the company recorded 10 million registered users worldwide, with users exchanging hundreds of messages every day with their Replika. The CEO Eugenia Kuyda received messages almost daily from users claiming they were engaging with a conscious, self-aware entity. She believed that the use of AI for emotion fulfillment was likely to persist and by 2030, Replika could be a companion for everyone: an assistant, therapist, and buddy at all times. Such increasingly sophisticated chatbots also created a host of questions around bias, ethics, data privacy, and the meaning of “real” relationships.