The Problem with AI Girlfriends: Control, Loneliness & Control

Apparently, John Oliver and I share a brain cell.

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AI, dating sims, etc., are all about avoiding shame. Avoiding embarrassment, disappointment, heartbreak. Because loving is complicated and hard, being vulnerable doesn’t come with guarantees or promises. No one has the right to be loved, but that doesn’t mean people are not fighting to be seen and cared for.

?? General Disclaimer: This video only covers a narrow part of this topic and not an exhaustive look into the topic. Anything left out was either cut for brevity/subject matter or simply did not come up in my research. I encourage anyone to fill in any gaps I may have missed with their own content or in the comments. ??

Thumbnails:

00:00 Silver Springs
06:30 Build a Wife
12:26 "Companion"
24:34 The Right to Be Loved
39:33 Glukupikron

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Special Thanks to Joey for Editing and Emotional Support.

Sources/World Building:

"[Friendship, on Demand](https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/03/ai-friendship-chatbot/686345/)" The Atlantic

"[Lindy West and the Trap of Perfect Polyamory](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a70801519/lindy-west-adult-braces/)" Harper's Bazaar

"[On-Demand Intimacy: The Sociotechnical Appeal of AI Companion](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20563051251410394)" Skyler Wang and Marco Dehnert

"THE ANTI-SOCIAL CENTURY" The Atlantic

Stevie Nicks Interview - [Off The Record](http://www.nicksfix.com/offtherecord.htm)

"[Romantic tension puts 'The Dance' in perspective](https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic-romantic-tension-puts/176636015/)" Arizona Republic | Phoenix, Arizona • Tue, Aug 12, 1997, Page 23

"[A WHOLE OUT OF PIECES: PYGMALION'S IVORY STATUE IN OVID'S "METAMORPHOSES](https://www.jstor.org/stable/44578508)" by PATRICIA SALZMAN-MITCHELL

"[Wanting Bad Things: Andrea Long Chu responds to Amia Srinivasan](https://thepointmag.com/dialogue/wanting-bad-things-andrea-long-chu-responds-amia-srinivasan/)" by Andrea Long Chu and Anastasia Berg

[*Men Who Hate Women: From incels to pickup artists, the truth about extreme misogyny and how it affects us all*](https://bookshop.org/p/books/men-who-hate-women-from-incels-to-pickup-artists-the-truth-about-extreme-misogyny-and-how-it-affects-us-all-laura-bates/dbc4c3ad6d885d06?ean=9781728290904&next=t) by Laura Bates

[*The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century*](https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-right-to-sex-feminism-in-the-twenty-first-century-amia-srinivasan/302875fb6698b91d?ean=9781250858795&next=t) by Amia Srinivasan

[*Eros the Bittersweet: An Essay](https://bookshop.org/p/books/eros-the-bittersweet-anne-carson/2cb44d438cedcd3c?ean=9781628973860&next=t)* by Anne Carson


Media Clips Used: Superman (2025), Wake Up Dead Man, Her, Companion, Ex Machina, Frankenstein, My Fair Lady, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Disney's Hercules TV Show, Pretty Woman, She's All That, MythQuest, Bride of Frankenstein, Blade Runner, The Social Network, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Heated Rivalry

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