Google AI
The Times Australia

I tried the Replika AI companion and can see why users are falling hard. The app raises serious ethical questions

  • Written by: Rob Brooks, Scientia Professor of Evolutionary Ecology; Academic Lead of UNSW's Grand Challenges Program, UNSW Sydney
I tried the Replika AI companion and can see why users are falling hard. The app raises serious ethical questionsAuthor provided

The warm light of friendship, intimacy and romantic love illuminates the best aspects of being human – while also casting a deep shadow of possible heartbreak.

But what happens when it’s not a human bringing on the heartache, but an AI-powered app? That’s a question a great many users of the Replika AI are crying...

Read more: I tried the Replika AI companion and can see why users are falling hard. The app raises serious ethi...

Times Magazine

Mentoring - Raising a child is more than providing for one

Food, shelter, safety and schooling are essential. But the guidance children receive about how to ...

Harmony Launches Voice AI Platform to Turn Customer Conversations into Revenue

Harmony’s proprietary, task-specific LLMs respond in about 200 milliseconds and produce a contact ra...

The Car Park Is Becoming Retail’s Next Customer Battleground

The Electric Vehicle Council released its State of EVs report at the end of September 2026 which f...

Technology

Harmony Launches Voice AI Platform …

Harmony’s proprietary, task-specific LLMs respond in about 200 milliseconds and produce a contact ra...

Local News

Brisbane Launches Zero Dollar Store…

A Brisbane-based online marketplace is taking a different approach to buying and selling: everything...

Culture

Why not take up photography? Start with the m…

You do not need an expensive camera, a studio or a distant destination to discover the pleasure of...

Travel

Broome and Byron Bay: protecting the environm…

On opposite sides of Australia, two celebrated coastal destinations face a shared challenge: maint...

The Times Features

Why not take up photography? Start with the moon

You do not need an expensive camera, a studio or a distant destination to discover the pleasure of...

Farm to Fork: Pick of the Crop

Seven seasons, one harvest: Farm to Fork: Pick of the Crop premieres Monday 2 November on 10 Andy...

What to look for when choosing an affiliate network

For publishers and advertisers, a successful affiliate partnership begins with the right audience...