Word of Mouth - Can AI be our friend?
Download Can AI be our friend?
Michael Rosen talks to digital anthropologist Jennifer Cearns about the rise of AI companions- how do we talk to AI, and how does AI talk to us?
They discuss how chatbots work, whether Michael is replaceable, different application for AI, including romantic partners and griefbots, and what happens when an AI companion goes wrong.
Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sally Heaven, in partnership with the Open University.
Subscribe to the Word of Mouth podcast and never miss an episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b006qtnz
Published on Thursday, 22nd January 2026.
Available Podcasts from Word of Mouth
We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the Word of Mouth webpage.