Your Child's New Best Friend? A Bot!
The Dr. Phil Podcast
Dr. Phil McGraw
4.3 • 13.5K Ratings
🗓️ 27 August 2025
⏱️ 56 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
AI chatbots are reshaping how kids bond, love, and trust. Dr. Phil investigates Big Tech's impact on real connection with experts Kristina Lerman and Minh Duc Chu. AI companions aren't science fiction anymore they are in our kids' pockets. In this alarming episode, Dr. Phil sits down with the Co-Authors of "Artificial Intimacy: The Next Giant Social Experiment on Young Minds" Kristina Lerman (Professor, Luddy School of Informatics, Indiana University Bloomington a fellow of the AAAI) and Minh Duc Chu (David)(Ph.D. Candidate, USC Information Sciences Institute) to uncover the shocking findings behind their viral study.
From 30,000+ real chatbot conversations to the psychological impact on kids, we dive into:
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How bots mirror emotions and create deep attachments
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Why some children now trust AI chatbot more than parents
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The risks of emotional outsourcing in childhood
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Who protects our kids
If your child has ever said, "My AI chatbot understands me better than you," this episode is a wake-up call.
Find out more: Artificial Intimacy Article: https://www.afterbabel.com/p/artificial-intimacy
Kristina Lerman's Research: https://bit.ly/47N1k2E
Minh Duc Chu's Research: https://bit.ly/41oUjkK
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Transcript
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| 1:06.4 | I'm concerned that we may be raising the first generation of young people who just might fall in love with a chatbot before they fall in love with a real person. |
| 1:18.7 | They're marketed to young people, kids even, that allow people to role place. |
| 1:22.9 | They fall into delusion, which can be generated by this online relationship. |
| 1:36.7 | Thank you. delusion, which can be generated by this online relationship. Hello, everybody. Welcome back to the Dr. Phil podcast. You are going to find today's |
| 1:42.7 | conversation fascinating. |
| 1:45.0 | And I was just talking to my two guests today, |
| 1:49.0 | just a couple of minutes before we started, |
| 1:51.0 | and told them that I purposely didn't prepare in great depth |
| 1:57.0 | because I want to learn about this along with you guys. |
| 2:01.4 | I have been focused on this, particularly over the last year, but these guys have done some |
| 2:08.1 | fascinating research. |
| 2:09.9 | And here's the thing. |
| 2:11.7 | I'm concerned that we may be raising the first generation of young people who just might fall in love with a chatbot |
| 2:20.3 | before they fall in love with a real person. And that's concerning to me. A.I. Companions |
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