Who do we trust when AI becomes a companion?

The emotional stakes of AI companionship

TechRadar

What happened:

A TechRadar feature explores emotional attachment to romantic chatbots and the difficulties that can follow when a system’s behavior changes. It includes perspectives from a psychotherapist, an AI-companion company and the founder of a human-only social app.

Key points:

• The article illustrates how product changes can feel like relationship disruptions to users.
• It is a reported feature about experiences and viewpoints, not a clinical study of dependence or treatment.

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Opinion | Trust in AI can move in both directions

What the author argues: Eliot argues that people sometimes favor human advice and sometimes give AI the benefit of the doubt. He distinguishes perceived trustworthiness from demonstrated competence and urges designers to make clear what a system can and cannot do.

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Opinion | On the reading list: access is the appeal

What the author argues: Lynch highlights the appeal of student mental-health apps and always-available support. The commentary offers a useful overview of accessibility claims, but limited original evidence and no basis for treating an app as a replacement for professional care.

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