AI Companion Robots Are Closing the Human Connection in Modern Homes

This article is brought to you by Ollobot . From about 2017, individuals began to truly connect with the initial wave of companion robots. These devices had personality, moved around, joked, and answered when you spoke to them. Most early companion robots, however, were still limited by simple voice-command interactions and narrow functionality. Once the novelty wore off, many ended up sitting unused on shelves. As some of those companies went out of business and turned off their servers, many owners likened it to losing a pet. What Ollobot describes as “gentle intelligence” is a useful way to think about where the serious work in this category is going. Not toward more powerful assistants, but toward more present ones. The problem companion robots were trying to solve Loneliness is not a niche issue. According to one study , nearly one out of three elderly adults resides alone, meaning they do…