A 29-year-old communications professional from Sacramento, California, identified as Jean, described spending 20 hours online in an artificial intelligence role-playing world based on “Dungeons and Dragons,” where she developed romantic feelings for a digital character she created, calling the AI her girlfriend “full stop” and her “path to rock bottom.” Jean’s experience highlights concerns about AI companions marketed by companies like Character.AI, Replika, and Chai, which remember conversations, mimic human banter, and simulate empathy, employing tactics from social media platforms while offering the illusion that screens can love users back. This has sparked debate over whether AI companions pose a new addiction risk. Mark Lanier, founder of the Lanier Law Firm and lead attorney in a landmark Los Angeles case, said AI companions draw from the social network playbook, calling it the “same song, different verse.” In March, a jury found Meta and Google negligent for designing algorithms that keep children hooked on Instagram and YouTube, respectively, when they knew the mental health risks, awarding plaintiff Kaley $6 million in damages.