Friends. Lovers. Therapists. ‘"Deathbots." AI is taking on unprecedented roles for millions of us every day – but how are these new relationships rewiring us?
Beyond those who are using chatbots for everyday tasks, many are turning to them as friends, mentors and sexual and romantic partners. Some are men who are preparing to adopt children with their AI partners; others are reaching out to companies offering "deathbot" services based on a deceased loved one's text messages and voicemails; others still look to therapy bots to find treatment for their mental health issues.
In Love Machines, James Muldoon examines these new forms of love, intimacy and connection, drawing on myriad interviews with users and developers from around the world – as well as psychologists, academics and chatbots themselves. As he navigates these interactions, Muldoon asks whether they might one day be a replacement for the relationships we have with each other, while also revealing how the unregulated corporations facilitating them are seeking to profit from an emerging "loneliness economy."
As the line between the digital and the real becomes increasingly blurred, and in a world that feels lonelier by the day, Love Machines is a timely survey of the next generation of human-computer relationships – and how they are not only changing our relationship with technology, but with each other.
Love Machines: How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Our Relationships by James Muldoon will be published September 8, 2026. Faber US provided an early galley for review.
Muldoon puts the focus of AI in four key areas, areas where AI is making an impact on everyday lives. As any good researcher will do, he immersed himself into the systems to experience first-hand what they offered. He also spoke to many individuals to present a wider look at this social movement.
Readers who will benefit from this book are those with open minds to the possibility of what services technology can provide. I certainly came away with an understanding that this is still a new field where a lot of balancing is still happening (level of service vs. commercial opportunistic ventures).
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