Video essay critiquing AI companionship

Ryan Hodes (substack • instagram) is a writer critiquing the technosocial implications of AI “companions”. Along with the prolific academic Raffaele Ciriello, he’s put out this video essay deconstructing the roots of AI companionship in an era of loneliness.

Note: While this video essay is not specific to children, it unpacks this concept as LLM-as-friend that is increasingly creeping into our children’s lives. We’re not saying that the solution is to disconnect completely – AI is getting, and will become, ubiquitous in every aspect of capitalism – but rather to arm ourselves with knowledge so we can empower our kids to understand what these things are, how they work, and who architects them so they can navigate the modern world with agency.