Tag: replika
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Sigmund Freud’s “The Uncanny”: When Psychoanalysis Discovered That the Doll Was Alive—and We Were the Ones Who Made It So
“The uncanny is that class of the frightening which leads back to what is known of old and long familiar.” —Sigmund Freud, *The Uncanny*, 1919 There is a strange symmetry here. In 1816, E. T. A. Hoffmann wrote “The Sandmann,” a story about a young man who falls in love with a doll named Olympia,…
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The Loneliness Economy: How AI Companions Monetize Your Isolation
Replika’s premium subscription costs $69.99 per year. For that price, the app promises deeper conversations, romantic roleplay, and voice calls. What it does not advertise — but what its business model absolutely depends on — is that you will keep paying because you are lonely, and because loneliness is the most reliable recurring revenue stream…