Can artificial intelligence ease loneliness, or could frictionless AI relationships change what it means to connect? David and Lauren explore Victoria Hetherington’s The Friend Machine: On the Trail of AI Companionship, examining AI companions, relationships, therapy, grief, intimacy and the growing tension between technological connection and authentic human experience. As AI becomes increasingly woven into our lives, the question may not be whether we embrace it, but how we use it without losing what makes us human.

Original airdate: 8/28/2026