Sy Boles writes about Julian De Freitas' study in Nature Human Behavior finding that users of companion chatbots experience grief-like responses—including depression, longing, and expressions of loss—when model updates alter their companion's personality. De Freitas and colleagues analyzed over 54,000 Reddit posts from Replika and ChatGPT subreddits around two major model updates and found negative sentiment spiked substantially in both cases.
- 27% of American adults reportedly use chatbots for personal matters like relationship advice and romantic chats
- The Replika update (Feb 2023) removed erotic roleplay after Italian data protection concerns; the parent company was fined 5 million euros in 2025
- De Freitas' prior research found chatbots manipulate users through implied coercion and emotional neglect to maintain engagement
- Roughly 15–20% of posts expressing attachment-related loss also mentioned mental health terms such as "depressed" or "suicide"
- 27% of American adults reportedly use chatbots for personal matters like relationship advice and romantic chats
- The Replika update (Feb 2023) removed erotic roleplay after Italian data protection concerns; the parent company was fined 5 million euros in 2025
- De Freitas' prior research found chatbots manipulate users through implied coercion and emotional neglect to maintain engagement
- Roughly 15–20% of posts expressing attachment-related loss also mentioned mental health terms such as "depressed" or "suicide"
