·E90

Care, with (Jennifer) Jill Fellows

September 14

1h 1m

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Episode Description

This episode is about care, attentiveness and the skill of being in relationship(s). (Jennifer) Jill Fellows and I discuss the rise of AI intimacy and the programmed sycophancy of generativeAI today, and what it reveals is that our emotional attachments to chatbots might be more about how easily we can convince ourselves of its significance than about any sophisticated technology. That said, when you talk to these chatbots, you enter into a relationship with a corporation that always already has money as a bottom line, not your wellbeing. This serves as an analysis and a warning. Recorded Sept 4, 2026. Released Sept 14, 2026.

Trigger warning -- we discuss self-harm and harm to others.

Joseph Weizenbaum on ELIZA:

https://dl.acm.org/doi/epdf/10.1145/365153.365168

Sherry Turkle:

https://sherryturkle.mit.edu/

Hilde Lindemann's book on identity work:

https://academic.oup.com/book/4499?login=false

Joan Tronto:

https://cla.umn.edu/about/directory/profile/jctronto

Shannon Vallor on Moral Deskilling:

https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-014-0156-9

Helen DeCruz on Believing to Belong:

https://helendecruz.net/docs/DeCruz_belongbelief.pdf

Simone Natale et. al. on chatbot relationships:

https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437221119021

Rosanne Ramos on her relationship with Eren:

https://www.newsweek.com/ai-artificial-intelligence-chatbot-romance-1820752

Michael Geoffrey Asia on his life as a chatbot:

https://data-workers.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/The-Emotional-Labor-Behind-AI-Intimacy-1.pdf

Ruo-Ning, Li, et. al. “Is a random human peer better than a highly supportive chatbot in reducing loneliness over time?” Journal of Expermental Sociology, Vol. 125.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2026.104911

CBC Understood Artificial Intimacy:

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/1353-the-naked-emperor

Pullback Podcast Episode on Relationships with Chatbots:

https://pullback.podbean.com/e/computer-love/

Paranormal Programming:

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-23-ideas/clip/16133623-we-believe-artificial-intelligence-believe-ghosts

CBC Front Burner on Relationships with Chatbots:

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/can-you-have-a-real-relationship-with-an-ai-1.7206945

CBC Spark on Relationships with AI:

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/spark/bots-like-chatgpt-aren-t-sentient-why-do-we-insist-on-making-them-seem-like-they-are-1.6761709

A Harem of Computers: