The Social Landscape of AI Companionship

Kashmir Hill is a reporter at the New York Times who focuses on the social impacts of new technology. In this episode, she describes how users are customizing chatbots like ChatGPT to fulfill emotional and even erotic needs, often bypassing built-in safeguards. These fantasy conversations are usually harmless, but there are potential pitfalls—especially where children are involved. Kashmir also discusses about how policymakers should deal with the emergence of uncannily accurate facial recognition technology.

"She Is in Love With ChatGPT" by Kashmir Hill in the New York Times, 2025.

Your Face Belongs to Us. Book by Kashmir Hill published in 2023.

"The Secretive Company That Might End Privacy as We Know It" by Kashmir Hill in the New York Times, 2020.

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