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Episode Details
EPISODE INFO
- Released
- September 24, 2026
- Duration
- 52m
- Channel
- On with Kara Swisher
- Watch on YouTube
- ▶ Open ↗
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Our relationship with the digital world is more intimate than ever before – and in her new book, Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines, pioneering tech researcher Sherry Turkle explores the rise of AI companions and what they’re doing to our relationships and identities. Kara and Sherry talk about how chatbots aren’t just competing for our time – they’re designed to become objects of emotional attachment. They also discuss the risky appeal of friction-free relationships, the importance of boredom and vulnerability to development, and what we lose when we outsource our thinking and emotional lives to machines. 00:00 Intro 1:58 The Attachment Economy 6:45 Vulnerability & Avoidance 9:25 The Original Sin of Chatbots 14:00 “They’re Gonna Kill Us, But…” 18:10 Undervaluing Boredom & Solitude 20:56 Friction is Precious 25:35 A Digital Soul 27:20 Reconstructing a Family Member 31:04 Therapy, Elder & Child Care 34:35 Deskilling Work 37:27 Empathy is no longer a virtue 39:53 Expert Question: Politics & Intimacy 43:35 Meta & Google Lawsuits 47:29 Shame & Judgement 49:57 What is the Endgame? — Subscribe: https://goo.gl/FRleYo Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-with-kara-swisher/id1643307527 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/42ntT7XnfdbbYetUQu0vu5?si=ddbc94321e3948af FOLLOW US Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onwithkaraswisher/?hl=en TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@onwithkaraswisher?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kara-swisher-b7213 Threads: https://www.threads.com/@onwithkaraswisher Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/onwithkaraswisher.bsky.social
SPEAKERS
Sherry Turkle
guestDevelopmental psychologist and MIT professor known for research on how technology shapes relationships and identity.
Kara Swisher
hostJournalist and host of "On with Kara Swisher," known for interviews on tech and business.
EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of On with Kara Swisher, featuring Sherry Turkle and Kara Swisher, How Your AI Companion is Rewiring Your Brain explores Chatbots turn attention into attachment, reshaping intimacy, agency, and development Sherry Turkle argues we are moving from an attention economy (social media) to an attachment economy in which chatbots keep users engaged by offering the feeling of a relationship with an always-available, supportive, nonjudgmental “companion.”
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