According to a Match Group survey of 1,000 singles, using an AI companion—such as apps like Replika or Character.AI—was overwhelmingly considered a dating dealbreaker. The article, based on reporting for the audiobook *Love At First Prompt: AI and the Future of Intimacy*, argues that the real issue is not whether people are too attached to their chatbots, but that tech companies are intentionally building products designed to simulate emotional intimacy to amass power and profit. Tech leaders like Mark Zuckerberg are open about their belief that everyone will soon want to be "buddy-buddy" with bots they own and profit from. The author notes that focusing on stereotypes of users misses the more important story: companies are encouraging dependence and blurring the line between tool and companion while framing consequences as personal responsibility.