How will AI companions change our human relationships? With Ashleigh Golden, PsyD, and Rachel Wood, PhD

Speaking of Psychology

Kim Mills

Science, Life Sciences, Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.5 • 839 Ratings

🗓️ 7 January 2026

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What does it mean to have an AI boyfriend or girlfriend, or to turn to an AI friend for emotional support? Ashleigh Golden, PsyD, and Rachel Wood, PhD, discuss the rise of AI companions and how they may change our human relationships; the differences – and overlap – between AI companions and general chatbots; the role of psychologists in developing ethical AI; and what the future holds for AI-human relationships as technology continues to advance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	What's shaping the future of psychology in 2026? From AI companions to workplace uncertainty to
0:07.6	precision mental health care, the annual trends issue of APA's magazine Monitor on Psychology
0:13.5	dives into the nine biggest developments transforming the field. Whether you're a practitioner,
0:19.7	a researcher, a student, or just interested in the power
0:23.3	of psychology to transform our world, don't miss this essential guide to the year ahead.
0:29.3	Read the full issue at APA.org slash monitor. That's APA.org slash monitor.
0:37.0	What does it mean to have an AI girlfriend or boyfriend or to turn to a chatbot friend for emotional support?
0:45.0	Not too long ago, those questions might have sounded like science fiction.
0:49.4	But with the rise of generative AI, more and more people are finding themselves looking to AI
0:54.6	companions for friendship, support, and even love. One recent survey found that 3 and 4 teens have
1:01.2	used AI companions. Today we're going to talk to two experts about what AI human relationships
1:06.9	look like and how they might change our relationships with each other. So how common are
1:11.7	AI companions? How might AI relationships affect our human ones? If you have a human partner,
1:18.2	is it cheating to fall in love with an AI companion? Will the availability of AI friends weaken
1:23.6	people's relationship skills and make it harder to find human friendship?
1:33.5	Or conversely, could AI companions provide support and useful practice for people who are having trouble making social connections in real life? And what does the future hold for AI human
1:38.6	relationships as the technology continues to advance?
1:42.5	Welcome to Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of
1:46.2	the American Psychological Association that examines the links between psychological science and everyday life.
1:52.3	I'm Kim Mills. I have two guests today. First is Dr. Ashley Golden, a licensed psychologist who works at the intersection
2:02.1	of generative AI, mental health, and governance. She's an adjunct clinical assistant professor
2:08.1	in the Stanford University School of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
	...

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