#30 - Is AI the End of Romance?

In this episode, Kieren and Riku ask what happens when technology becomes very good at producing the signals humans use to recognise connection. They trace the story from ELIZA, a 200-line program from 1966 whose users asked to speak to it in private, to the 50 million people estimated to have spent Valentine's Day 2026 with an AI companion. They demystify what an AI companion app actually is, and list the four areas where AI is already reshaping romance: choosing who we meet, speaking for us, becoming the partner, and leveraging intimacy for fraud. Tune in for an honest look at the harms and even some possible benefits.Birds for Scale, Smarties is licensed under CC BY-SA.Local Forecast – Elevator by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC BY. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.