19:I[66739,["/_next/static/chunks/0.3dg.jzl0xwf.js?dpl=dpl_BhmHa8NmNRnoMAUm8Lqp3TPz2qZA","/_next/static/chunks/0qxr~fpya2kw0.js?dpl=dpl_BhmHa8NmNRnoMAUm8Lqp3TPz2qZA","/_next/static/chunks/12wfgjmhh21qu.js?dpl=dpl_BhmHa8NmNRnoMAUm8Lqp3TPz2qZA","/_next/static/chunks/028~snn2srcd-.js?dpl=dpl_BhmHa8NmNRnoMAUm8Lqp3TPz2qZA","/_next/static/chunks/079qbl7l5rd72.js?dpl=dpl_BhmHa8NmNRnoMAUm8Lqp3TPz2qZA","/_next/static/chunks/0hi8o2xq05aig.js?dpl=dpl_BhmHa8NmNRnoMAUm8Lqp3TPz2qZA"],"default"] 1b:I[38632,["/_next/static/chunks/0qqtp3r0h7kah.js?dpl=dpl_BhmHa8NmNRnoMAUm8Lqp3TPz2qZA","/_next/static/chunks/0iukvycbd42rl.js?dpl=dpl_BhmHa8NmNRnoMAUm8Lqp3TPz2qZA"],"IconMark"] 1a:T4f5,Thanks to advances in AI, chatbots can act as personalized therapists, companions, and romantic partners. The apps offering these services have been downloaded millions of times. If these relationships relieve stress and make us feel better, does it matter that they're not "real"?

On this episode from our special series Body Electric, host Manoush Zomorodi talks to MIT sociologist and psychologist Sherry Turkle about her new research into what she calls "artificial intimacy," and its impact on our mental and physical health.

Binge the whole Body Electric series here.

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Talk to us on Instagram @ManoushZ, or record a voice memo and email it to us at BodyElectric@npr.org.

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Body Electric: If a bot relationship FEELS real, should we care that it's not?

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Body Electric: If a bot relationship FEELS real, should we care that it's not?