This episode is about care, attentiveness and the skill of being in relationship(s). (Jennifer) Jill Fellows and I discuss the rise of AI intimacy and the programmed sycophancy of generativeAI today, and what it reveals is that our emotional attachments to chatbots might be more about how easily we can convince ourselves of its significance than about any sophisticated technology. That said, when you talk to these chatbots, you enter into a relationship with a corporation that always already has money as a bottom line, not your wellbeing. This serves as an analysis and a warning. Recorded Sept 4, 2026. Released Sept 14, 2026.
Trigger warning -- we discuss self-harm and harm to others.
Joseph Weizenbaum on ELIZA:
https://dl.acm.org/doi/epdf/10.1145/365153.365168
Sherry Turkle:
Hilde Lindemann's book on identity work:
https://academic.oup.com/book/4499?login=false
Joan Tronto:
https://cla.umn.edu/about/directory/profile/jctronto
Shannon Vallor on Moral Deskilling:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-014-0156-9
Helen DeCruz on Believing to Belong:
https://helendecruz.net/docs/DeCruz_belongbelief.pdf
Simone Natale et. al. on chatbot relationships:
https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437221119021
Rosanne Ramos on her relationship with Eren:
https://www.newsweek.com/ai-artificial-intelligence-chatbot-romance-1820752
Michael Geoffrey Asia on his life as a chatbot:
https://data-workers.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/The-Emotional-Labor-Behind-AI-Intimacy-1.pdf
Ruo-Ning, Li, et. al. “Is a random human peer better than a highly supportive chatbot in reducing loneliness over time?” Journal of Expermental Sociology, Vol. 125.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2026.104911
CBC Understood Artificial Intimacy:
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/1353-the-naked-emperor
Pullback Podcast Episode on Relationships with Chatbots:
https://pullback.podbean.com/e/computer-love/
Paranormal Programming:
CBC Front Burner on Relationships with Chatbots:
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/can-you-have-a-real-relationship-with-an-ai-1.7206945
CBC Spark on Relationships with AI:
A Harem of Computers:
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/audio/9.6564912
(Jennifer) Jill Fellows website:
https://jenniferjillfellowsphd.opened.ca/
Cyborg Goddess Podcast:
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