Hello, Roses are red, violets are blue... relationships are now with robots and our privacy is screwed? What a time to be alive. AI chatbots might be all the rage, but right now there’s a specific type that’s driving massive traffic, downloads and dollars — AI relationship chatbots. Boasting an estimated 100 million downloads just for the 11 apps we reviewed, these chatbots are rapidly becoming people’s AI girlfriends (and occasionally boyfriends), soulmates, companions and even sex partners. But when it comes to privacy, security, and trustworthiness, AI relationship chatbots are waving some gigantic red flags. That’s why, this Valentine’s Day, Mozilla’s *Privacy Not Included team is launching our new guide on AI relationship chatbots. Despite their booming popularity, not much research has been done into AI relationship chatbots. That’s why Mozilla’s *Privacy Not Included team rolled up our sleeves and got to work — in total, we reviewed 11 apps and spent far, far too many hours immersed in the often creepy, sketchy world of chatbot romance. What did we find? Nothing good, that’s for sure. It’s a grim read, so grab some of your Valentine’s Day chocolate, and let’s go: - These AI chatbots are designed to encourage users to share large amounts of extremely personal information to build often intimate relationships — and then users must pay a monthly fee to maintain these AI relationships.
- The Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions were frequently vague and poorly written, failing to tell us how users’ very sensitive personal information is used, secured and controlled.
- There is little transparency around how users can protect themselves from abuse, manipulation and harm from the AI relationship chatbots. We found a story of a Replika user whose AI girlfriend encouraged him to assassinate Queen Elizabeth (...which he then attempted to do). And others who were given downright dangerous advice about their mental health and relationships.
- These AI relationship chatbots market their apps as being self-help, wellness and mental health apps. But in reality, their legal documentation warns these apps should never be used for those purposes.
Thank you for loving the internet - not just on Valentine’s Day, but every day of the year! Jen, Misha and Zoë Your *Privacy Not Included team Mozilla |