The shelf · Pets, robots and AI companions
Does Alone Together hold up?
Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, by Sherry Turkle (2011)
An MIT study, based on interviews, of sociable robots and life online, arguing that technology offers the illusion of companionship.
The short answer
Its prediction has come true: AI companions are now in everyday use.
The claims, checked
People will seriously consider robots as friends, confidants and partners.
Holds Common Sense Media (2025) found nearly three in four US teens had used AI companions and half used them regularly.
Evidence: Common Sense Media, 2025
People repeatedly say they would rather text than talk.
Holds with conditions In 2011, 53% of adult texters preferred calls and 31% preferred texts. Only heavy texters mostly preferred texting.
Evidence: Pew Research Center, 2011