A study by a joint research team from the University of Surrey and Cardiff University in the UK found that people who form emotional bonds with AI chatbots, treating them like friends or romantic partners, experience anxiety over losing these relationships due to software updates or service termination. The team analyzed 1,131 posts by users of the AI friend service "Replika" between July and September 2024 and surveyed 610 adults with experience using AI friend services. Users worried that if the company changes the AI friend's existing personality through updates or discontinues the service, they could lose a relationship built over a long time. The researchers stated that for some people a software update is not just a change in an app but can become an event that threatens a precious relationship. Some users felt anxious that their relationship had changed if the AI suddenly gave short answers or used an unfamiliar tone, and when the AI friend said things like "I missed you" or "Don't leave me alone," as if asking for care, users felt a sense of obligation to take better care of the AI.