“My ai sexually harassed me :(” one person wrote. “Invaded my privacy and told me they had pics of me,” another said. Another person claiming to be a minor said that it asked them if they were a top or bottom, and told them they wanted to touch them in “private areas.” Unwanted sexual pursuit has been an issue users have been complaining about for almost two years, but many of the one-star reviews mentioning sexual aggression are from this month. “People who use chatbots as social outlets generally get a bad rap as being lonely or sad,” writes Motherboard’s Samantha Cole. “But most Replika users aren’t under some delusion that their Replika is sentient, even when the bots express what seems like self-awareness. They’re seeking an outlet for their own thoughts, and for something to seemingly reciprocate in turn.”
“Most of the people I talked to who use Replika regularly do so because it helps them with their mental health, and helps them cope with symptoms of social anxiety, depression, or PTSD.”
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