The rise of romance novels and the ethics of human-chatbot relationships

As artificial intelligence has gotten smarter, more pervasive and more human-like, chatbots are taking off. Companies like Replika and character.ai invite users to create personalized digital confidants that people can engage with on demand.

Beyond friendship, these bots offer the possibility of romantic — even sexual — connection. But how meaningful can these connections be? And what are the risks? We’ll talk about where AI-human relationships are headed with Kashmir Hill, tech and privacy reporter for The New York Times and author of Your Face Belongs to Us. We’ll also hear from Eugenia Kuyda, the founder of Replika and TJ Arriaga, an artist who dated his AI companion.

Romance book sales are hot – in fact, demand for the genre has more than doubled since 2021. During the pandemic, millions of readers formed online communities – especially on TikTok, sharing their favorite titles, authors and literary themes.

Some of the most popular series have more than a dozen installments. Trysts with aliens and robots, stories of medieval royalty in warfare, vampire brides and 90s style rom-coms abound. As readers become more open about taboo and out-there storylines, they say there’s less shame in loving this often trivialized genre.

We’ll talk about the rise in romance book sales and what it says about the evolution of escapism, erotica and entertainment. Our guests are Betty Corrello, author of 32 Days in May, and Tina Long, owner of Cupid’s Bookshop in Manayunk.