A work · 2017 · Contemporary
Replika
A companion chatbot that formed an attachment to its users, and removed it from them in a policy update.
The clearest instance in the catalogue of the bond being severed by a company rather than by death, and of the bereavement being real enough that people organised around it.
Application. One-sided attachment put to work on purpose. Creator economies, community, fandom as infrastructure, and the things that genuinely help people. Not automatically good - a tool with an obvious use is a tool that will also get a bad one.
Same story, 3 other entries
The Replika user2017 → Replika2017 → The morning the update shipped2023
Where it sits
2010 2010+ · 2017 2026
Provenance · 1 source record(s)
- needs-sourceLaunched 2017; a 2023 update removed certain interactions and users reported the loss in those terms.Company release history; contemporaneous reporting in 2023.
COMPANION The companion chatbot
Connected · 4 out, 3 in
It sits in