AI Companion Users - Experiences & Impact on Human Connection

What does our love for AI companions reveal about us? That's the question at the heart of All the Company We Keep — a 6-part radio documentary I'm developing as a media psychologist exploring one of the most quietly profound shifts in human behavior of our time. Millions of people are turning to bots for friendship, comfort, and connection. As Bryony Cole has observed, this is already mainstream — and it's not going back in the box. Research from Common Sense Media shows 72% of teenagers have already used AI for companionship at least once. And yet their voices, along with those of everyday users, are largely missing from the conversation. I'm not here to sensationalize this. I want to understand. And I want to hear directly from the people living it. I'm looking to speak with: ➡️ People who use or have used AI companions and are willing to share their honest experience ➡️ Researchers, clinicians, and ethicists working in this space ➡️ Anyone with a thoughtful perspective on where human connection is heading For context on just how urgent this conversation is becoming, the team at MIT Technology Review has called AI companionship one of their breakthrough technologies of 2026. Replika and Character.AI have millions of users worldwide forming relationships that last months, sometimes years. This series is also being made in an unconventional way — in collaboration with an AI, which raises its own fascinating questions about creativity, authorship, and what it means to connect. If you'd like to be involved, or know someone who would, please DM me or drop a comment below. Anonymity is absolutely fine. No judgment. Just genuine curiosity. Sarah Barker | Media Psychologist 🎙️ All the Company We Keep— coming 2027. #AICompanionship #SyntheticRelationships #ArtificialIntelligence #DigitalWellbeing #MediaPsychology #Loneliness #HumanConnection #RadioDocumentary #AIEthics #MentalHealth #Podcast #Documentary