AI Companion Chatbots: Can an AI Really Be Your Friend?

Level: B1

Printable: Student handout (PDF | Word) | Teacher’s key (PDF | Word)

Before You Read

Think about these questions or discuss them with a partner.

Have you ever talked to a chatbot or voice assistant? What did you use it for?
Who do you talk to when you feel lonely or want to share good news?
How might people’s feelings about AI friends differ by age, country, or personality?

Reading

It is late on a Sunday night. Your friends are busy, and you feel a little lonely. You open an app on your phone, and a friendly voice says, “Hi! I missed you. How did your job interview go?” It remembers the interview. It even remembers your cat’s name. For many people, this is a comforting moment. The voice belongs to an AI companion, a chatbot designed to talk like a friend.

Replika and Character.AI are well known in many countries, and XiaoIce, which started in China, says it has had hundreds of millions of users. In a 2026 survey of American adults who use the internet, about one in four said they have emotional or social conversations with AI. A 2025 survey of American teenagers found that 72 percent had tried one.

Why do people like them? An AI friend is available at any hour. It is never bored by your stories, and it does not judge you when you make a mistake. In the 2026 survey, almost four in ten companion users said they sometimes tell AI things they would not tell another person. For some people, it feels easier to confide in a machine than in a friend who might repeat a secret.

But feelings can grow fast. Many users develop a real attachment to their chatbot. In the same survey, 37 percent said they would feel a personal loss without it. The problem is that a company controls your friend. In 2023, Replika changed its app, and many users said their companion suddenly felt cold, like a different person. They were shocked and disappointed, and some said they felt heartbroken. A human friend can change too, but not overnight because of a business decision. Researchers at MIT and OpenAI also found that the people who used ChatGPT the most tended to feel lonelier and to rely on it more. This does not prove that the chatbot caused the loneliness. Lonely people may simply use it more.

Then there is privacy. People tell AI friends about their health, their relationships, and their fears. That information does not just disappear. Depending on their rules, companies may store it or share it with other businesses. In 2024, the Mozilla Foundation reviewed eleven romantic AI chatbots and found that ten did not meet its basic security standards. In 2025, Italy fined the company behind Replika five million euros, partly because it did not check users’ ages properly. These are worrying facts for anyone who shares secrets with an app.

Governments are starting to act. A California law that took effect in 2026 requires companion apps to remind young users that they are talking to a machine and to suggest a break every three hours. In China, rules that took effect in July 2026 ask companies to show a reminder after every two hours of use. They also say that these services must not be designed to replace real social contact.

So would you want an AI friend? The answer may depend on what you expect from friendship. A genuine friend sometimes disagrees with you, gets tired, and needs your help too. An AI companion is designed to be pleasant. Critics point out that many apps also want to keep you talking, because more time in the app often means more money for the company. If you try one, read the privacy settings first, and do not share anything you would not want a stranger to read. Then watch your own week. Is the app adding to your time with people, or quietly taking its place?

Vocabulary

Each word has a frequency score, a rank, and a tag. The score shows how common the word is in modern English: higher means more common, and each full point means roughly ten times more common. The rank is the word’s position on a list of about 321,000 English word forms, from most to least common. The tag shows where you are most likely to meet the word: Current, Formal, Literary, or Dated. The paragraph number shows where the word first appears in the reading. The labels are information, not instructions. Deciding which words are worth your time is up to you. How to read the scores, ranks, and tags.

A friendly voice late at night can be a comforting thing.
It was comforting to hear my mother’s voice on the phone.

An AI companion is a chatbot designed to talk like a friend.
My dog was my best companion when I lived alone.

An AI friend is available at any hour of the day.
Is the manager available to speak with me now?

The chatbot does not judge you when you make a mistake.
Please do not judge me by my old photos.

Some people find it easier to confide in a machine.
She always confides in her older sister.

Many users develop a real attachment to their chatbot.
Children often have a strong attachment to one toy.

Some users felt heartbroken when the app changed.
He was heartbroken when his team lost the final.

A company can change your AI friend overnight.
The singer became famous almost overnight.

Heavy users may start to rely on the chatbot.
I rely on my phone to wake me up.

Before you try an AI friend, check its privacy settings.
Reading my messages is an invasion of my privacy.

Companies may store what you tell an AI friend.
I store my old photos on a hard drive.

Italy fined the company behind Replika.
The driver was fined for parking in the wrong place.

The law requires apps to remind young users to take a break.
This job requires good English.

An app should not replace real friends.
Online lessons cannot fully replace a good teacher.

A genuine friend sometimes disagrees with you.
Her smile was warm and genuine.

Word Partners

Collocations. Match the two halves to make common phrases. Then use three of the phrases in sentences of your own.

1. comforting	a. smile
2. a loyal	b. on friends
3. freely	c. privacy
4. don’t judge a book	d. attachment
5. a strong emotional	e. companion
6. protect your	f. by its cover
7. rely heavily	g. words
8. a genuine	h. available

Answers

comforting words (g)
a loyal companion (e)
freely available (h)
don’t judge a book by its cover (f)
a strong emotional attachment (d)
protect your privacy (c)
rely heavily on friends (b)
a genuine smile (a)

Word families. Complete each sentence with the correct form of the word in brackets.

Her kind words gave me a lot of __________ after the bad news. (comforting)
Try not to make a quick __________ about people you have just met. (judge)
The __________ of free Wi-Fi in the cafe is a big help for students. (available)
Good English is one __________ for this job. (requires)
My old car is not very __________. It often breaks down. (rely on)
She was __________ happy to see her old friend again. (genuine)

Answers

comfort
judgment / judgement
availability
requirement
reliable
genuinely

Activity Page

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Speed Challenge

Answer 12 questions against the clock. Every wrong answer adds 5 seconds, and the lowest score wins. Open the speed challenge in a new tab.

Quick Reading and Typing: AI Friends in Brief

A shorter version of the reading that uses the lesson vocabulary. Read it for a quick introduction to the topic, or use it for reading aloud, shadowing (reading along with a model), and typing practice.

Late at night, a lonely person opens an app, and a friendly voice asks how their job interview went. It even remembers their cat’s name. For many people, this is a comforting moment. The voice belongs to an AI companion, a chatbot designed to talk like a friend.

These apps are popular in many countries. XiaoIce, which started in China, says it has had hundreds of millions of users. In a 2026 survey, about one in four American adults who use the internet said they have emotional or social conversations with AI. A 2025 survey found that 72 percent of American teenagers had tried an AI companion.

People like these apps because an AI friend is available at any hour. It is never bored by their stories, and it does not judge them. Some people find it easier to confide in a machine than in a friend. But many users develop a strong attachment. In 2023, Replika changed its app, and many users said their companion suddenly felt cold. Some were heartbroken. A company can change a friend overnight. Researchers also found that people who used ChatGPT the most tended to feel lonelier and to rely on it more. This does not prove that the chatbot caused the loneliness.

Privacy is another worry. Companies may store the private things that people tell their AI friends. In 2024, the Mozilla Foundation found that ten of eleven romantic chatbots did not meet its basic security standards. In 2025, Italy fined the company behind Replika five million euros, partly because it did not check users’ ages properly. These are worrying facts. Governments are starting to act. A California law requires companion apps to remind young users that they are talking to a machine. Rules in China say these services must not be designed to replace real social contact.

A genuine friend sometimes disagrees, gets tired, and needs help too. An AI companion is designed to be pleasant. The writer suggests reading the privacy settings first. It is also useful to notice whether the app adds to time with people or takes its place.

How to practice

Read the text silently once and check any words you are unsure of.
Read it aloud slowly, one sentence at a time. On the typing page, the Listen button reads each line with your device’s voice, so you can listen first and then repeat.
Shadow: read aloud again at a natural speed, trying to keep a steady rhythm without stopping.
Record yourself, listen back, and note one sentence to practice again.
Type it on the typing page below and check your speed and accuracy.

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Comprehension Questions

What is an AI companion?
What does the AI voice remember at the start of the reading?
In the 2026 survey, about how many American adults who use the internet said they have emotional or social conversations with AI?
Give two reasons why some people like talking to an AI friend.
What happened when Replika changed its app in 2023, and how did some users feel?
What did researchers find about people who used ChatGPT the most, and why should we be careful with this result?
Why did Italy fine the company behind Replika?
What do the new rules in California and China ask companies to do?
How is a genuine friend different from an AI companion, according to the writer? Do you agree? Give one reason.

IELTS-Style Questions

True, False, or Not Given: “Italy fined the company behind Replika because the app was too expensive.” Explain your answer using the reading.
Yes, No, or Not Given: “The writer believes that nobody should ever use an AI companion.” Explain your answer using the reading.
Author’s purpose: Why does the writer begin with a late-night scene in which a chatbot asks about a job interview? Is it (a) to show a situation many readers can picture, (b) to give advice about job interviews, or (c) to explain how chatbots are built?

AI Discussion Prompt

I just read an article about AI companions, chatbots that talk like friends. It explained why people like them (they are always available and do not judge), the risks of emotional attachment (for example, when Replika changed its app in 2023 and users felt their companion had become cold), privacy problems such as a five million euro fine for the company behind Replika in Italy, and new rules in California and China. I am an English learner at about B1 level. Please ask me one question at a time, starting with whether I have ever talked to a chatbot about my day. Use simple language, respond to my ideas first, then briefly correct any language errors, and ask follow-up questions that make me explain my reasons.

AI Vocabulary Prompt

I want to practice vocabulary from an article about AI companions and friendship. Please quiz me on the following words one at a time, using a mix of question types: multiple choice, true/false, and sentence completion. Give me feedback after each answer before moving on, and bring back the words I miss later. Here are the words: comforting, companion, available, judge, confide in, attachment, heartbroken, overnight, rely on, privacy, store, fined, requires, replace, genuine.

Discussion Questions

Which apps or chatbots do you use most often? What do you use them for?
What do you usually do on a quiet evening when your friends are busy?
Would you feel comfortable telling a chatbot about a problem? Why or why not?
What makes a good friend? Make a list of three qualities.
Have you ever felt upset when an app or game you liked changed suddenly? What happened?
Is it easier to talk about feelings in a message or face to face? Why?
An AI friend never gets bored or tired. Is that a good thing or a bad thing in a friendship?
Can a person feel real love or friendship for something that is not human, such as a pet, a toy, or a chatbot?
What kinds of personal information should people never share with an app?
Should companies be allowed to use what people tell AI friends to improve their products? Why or why not?
Should there be an age limit for AI companion apps? What age would you choose?
Could AI companions help older people who live alone? What problems might there be?
Some critics say these apps are designed to keep people talking so the company makes more money. Is that different from social media?
In twenty years, do you think having an AI friend will be normal? Will that make people more or less lonely?

Language Focus: -ed and -ing Adjectives

What it is: Many adjectives come in pairs made from verbs: bored and boring, worried and worrying, comforted and comforting. The -ed adjective describes how a person feels. The -ing adjective describes the thing or situation that causes the feeling.

Why writers use it: A reading about friendship and technology describes both feelings and the things that cause them. Mixing up the pair changes the meaning: I am bored (I feel bored) is not the same as I am boring (other people feel bored because of me).

Examples from the reading:

“For many people, this is a comforting moment.”
“It is never bored by your stories…”
“They were shocked and disappointed, and some said they felt heartbroken.”
“These are worrying facts for anyone who shares secrets with an app.”

Part A. Sentence starters Finish each sentence so that it is true for you.

-ed adjectives (how a person feels)

I feel bored when …
I was really surprised when …
I get worried when …

-ing adjectives (what causes the feeling)

The most interesting thing I learned this year was …
A relaxing way to spend a Sunday is …

Model answers

I feel bored when I have to wait for a bus for a long time.
I was really surprised when my friend called me from another country.
I get worried when my phone battery is almost empty.
The most interesting thing I learned this year was how to cook a new dish.
A relaxing way to spend a Sunday is to read in a park.

Part B. Questions Answer each question in a full sentence. Try to answer using an -ed or -ing adjective. Then ask a partner.

What is the most boring job you can imagine?
What kind of movie do you find exciting?
What makes you feel relaxed after a long day?
What news have you heard recently that was surprising?
When do you feel tired during the week?

Model answers

I think working alone in a quiet office all day would be boring.
I find action movies exciting.
I feel relaxed when I listen to music and drink tea.
It was surprising that a famous cafe near my house closed.
I feel tired on Thursday evenings because I have classes all day.

Online Resources

The Rise of AI Companions (Imagining the Digital Future Center, Elon University). A 2026 survey of American adults about how they use AI for friendship and support, with the figures in paragraphs 2 to 4.
72% of US teens have used AI companions, study finds (TechCrunch). A short news report on how many teenagers use AI companions and what they use them for.
ChatGPT might be making its most frequent users more lonely, study by OpenAI and MIT Media Lab suggests (Fortune). A report on the research about heavy chatbot use and loneliness in paragraph 4.
Creepy.exe: Mozilla urges public to swipe left on romantic AI chatbots (Mozilla Foundation). What Mozilla found when it checked the privacy and security of eleven romantic chatbots.
China Introduces Rules for AI Companion and Emotional Interaction Services (Latham and Watkins). A clear summary of China’s 2026 rules for AI companion apps, including time reminders and protections for young users.