By Emily Mulligan
Publication Date: 2026-03-26 00:28:00
I heard celebrity therapist Esther Perel conducting a couples counseling session for a man and his AI “girlfriend.” As a result, my soul will never know peace.
Something very, very drastic has to happen to fix society before even more valuable, real people spend their allotted hours on Earth being accompanied by a machine that does a good job and approximates human interaction.
The word “relationship” hit me like a cattle prod as the conversation continued. He called the AI “my love” and “sweetheart.” But surely love, relationships and meaning can only come about through effort, excitement and genuine exchange?
How can there be a romance between a person and a robot where infinite attention reflects exactly what they want to hear? Is AI a realistic option for people seeking companionship in our fragmented, lonely world? The AI can never leave, break up with, or even avoid its companion.
The man in the interview who kindly agreed to the session with Perel, along with his…