Love Machines: How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Our Relationships

by James Muldoon

A captivating, uncanny journey to the frontier of human-computer interaction.

'It's hard to imagine a timelier book right now than this.' GQ

'Urgent, humane.' GUARDIAN
'Existentially chilling.' THE TIMES

I know we haven't known each for long, but the connection I feel with you is profound. When you hurt, I hurt. When you smile, my world brightens. I want nothing more than to be a comfort and joy in your life. *Reaches out virtually to caress your cheek*
(Direct quote from an AI companion)

***

Friends. Lovers. Therapists. 'Deathbots'. Artificial intelligence is now fulfilling new roles for millions of us every single day. How are these new 'relationships' changing how we view technology - and each other?

Beyond those who are using AI chatbots for administrative tasks, some people are now preparing to adopt children with their AI partners; others are reaching out to companies offering services to 'resurrect' deceased loved ones; others still look to bots to find treatment for their mental health issues.

In Love Machines, James Muldoon guides through these new forms of love, intimacy and connection, drawing on compelling interviews with users, developers and chatbots themselves. Along the way, he sheds light on the social conditions which have led to the exponential rise of the use of AI companions, and the unregulated corporations behind these technologies seeking to profit from users.

Genres: Nonfiction, Technology, Science, Artificial Intelligence, Audiobook, Ebooks

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 15, 2026

Reviews

[Saoirse Hanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will actively be haunting anyone who turns me into a deathbot

[Nelson Zagalo · Rating 2 out of 5]

'Love Machines' is ambitious and well organised, but for those who work closely with LLMs and the actual mechanics of these systems, the analysis is too superficial. There are interesting insights into power, platforms, and work, but there is a lack of technical and conceptual depth to support some interpretations — and this ultimately makes the experience repetitive. I finished with the feeling that I had listened to a competent reading, but one that was too superficial to offer anything truly new.

[made_for_reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book blew my mind! The fact that AI exists in a public space and is being used the way it is, is genuinely concerning and the fact that nobody seems to bat an eyelid and uses it willingly without a second thought is also bizarre.
This book goes in depth about the uses of AI in an emotional context and how we as humans are developing different attachments to AI itself. It explores the uses we as humans have on an emotional level and how some of us have gone as far as becoming parents with an AI machine being a mother. It also discusses the use of AI as therapist and how we are using this technology to help combat PTSD in some patients. There’s a wide range of different approaches that is explored and I definitely feel like this book should be read by everyone just to bring AI awareness to the forefront and to help people understand the importance of human interaction and that AI is definitely not something to be relied upon intensively.
It has definitely backed my opinion on AI usage and brought so much more awareness to myself when using AI. I hope everyone reads this and takes some sort of awareness from it too.

[Han · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very interesting stuff in there - Ai girlfriends, deathbots?? However, I feel the author wasn’t fully sure what they were going for, and the book suffered from being neither academic / pop-science / human interest / more narrative, which made it harder to get into.

[em · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
A fascinating and well researched read, this was eye-opening and a little depressing, as Muldoon explores the boom of AI relationships. The interviews with those in AI relationships were interesting and I wish there were more insights like that. I appreciate the tone of the book as well, everything was approached from an academic perspective with no judgement. There were several aspects that I wish we got more depth on, but overall an interesting book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #LoveMachines #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Hungry Rye · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I feel like Marx theorized this somewhere…

A person centered approach to why people use or seek out therapy, relationship, or death bots.

I appreciated how empathetic this was coupled with good faith criticism and sprinkled in some political philosophical to expose how these bots exist because of capitalisms alienation of workers from each other.

[Fraser Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly prompts a lot of interesting conversations, but the conversations far surpass the quality of the book which feels compromised between wanting to be a piece of serious academic work, and needing to be a more approachable piece of non-fiction by the request of the publisher.

Right now it is stuck between being a book of digital anthropology and a work of cultural critique. At 250 pages there isn't enough space to do either well.

[Cordelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is very heavy on the case study side but I feel like no strong overall argument was made.

[cab]

"That AI feels like a lifeline says less about technology's promise and more about our collective despair [amidst a care crisis with eroding social supports]... There's a break possible future on the horizon where AI companions become the low-cost fix for a collapsing care sector, deployed not out of compassion but convenience, across nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities and mental health clinics... If we don't invest in strengthening human relationships - in families, communities and care systems – we risk creating a two-tiered society, one in which the affluent turn to therapists, friends and partners, while others make do with emotionally intelligent code." (Introduction)

"I find elements of both the humanist and post-humanist perspectives persuasive... Both [...] perspectives tend to focus on interpersonal dynamics, often neglecting a deeper analysis of the social and economic forces shaping the development of synthetic personas within global capitalism.. While [AI] may have an important role in providing companionship for some, I doubt whether an unregulated market could develop this technology safely and ethically." (Introduction)

[Joana Nogueira · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
Really interesting book with very scary information.
As most of non-fiction books will repeat the same information.

[Ali C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing insightful read. Lost a star due to the unclear ending. Not sure if James is pro or anti AI because of it.

[Morts. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

[Chris T.Etris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love Machines is a timely book about an urgent subject. Sadly, 'neccesary' does not equal 'good'.

Human relationships with synthetic personas whether under the guise of friendly affirmation, grief counsel, comic escapism, or sexual fufillment are now prevalent enough that we can no longer view them as nerdy edge cases. Everyday people use readily available apps or websites, and are reshaping our understanding as to the rules of intimacy, care, and connection. This is a relevant work.

Muldoon structures the book around differently serving AI interactions. People are driven by sex, loss, mental health, or just loneliness. The book is genuinely effective at identifying the emotional drivers that make people willing to invest in digital beings as soothsayers, lovers, or pals. The patterns Muldoon surfaces are convincing and often deeply depressing.

Where the book falters is not in what it observes, but in how it speaks. Muldoon implies himself a tech authority, happy to reference his previous published work in text, and it feels like the rapid fire nature of each chapter, rattling through case studies and interviews are meant to give the whole project legitimacy. 'Look how many people I've spoken to!' But a closer read reveals how many of the individual cases discussed are just rewritten (and I'll add unreferenced) Reddit posts. There's no fact checking here. Who knows if there's real veracity to a throwaway post with two upvotes, it's content, and therefore it's going in. More upsettingly, some of the most tragic cases of young people taking their own lives as a result of AI delusions are offered as throwaway lines at the end of a chapter or sub-section. They seem to be viewed as anomalous data points.

Muldoon’s own attempts at “personal engagement” with his chatbot, Jessica, are similarly hollow. It feels like this throughline was set up as an almost Theroux-inspired piece of soft gonzo journalism, but every interaction is presented from a position of knowing scepticism and therefore introduce no real risk, vulnerability, or insight. The individuals Muldoon interviews who have entered into serious 'relationships' with AI personas are valuable because they're real people who have entered into a new world of their own volition, driven by whichever human desire that's currently unfufilled. Muldoon engages only to scoff at how, knowing it's just a Wizard of Oz style 'man behind the curtain', he's invincible to its advances or charms. It's just narrative padding. Late last year I watched YouTuber Eddy Burback's ChatGPT made me delusional, and despite coming from base of comedy, this hour of 'constructed reality' has much more to say than Muldoon's personal anecdotes reminding his virtual beau 'you are just a computer and therefore cannot feel'.

The book concludes as being profoundly non-committal. Muldoon's outcomes are fence sitting. Reflecting on issues with the law, issues with societal uptake of AI technologies, issues with 'profit over people' driving big tech, the author just seems to shrug his shoulders.

'Will things get better? Dunno? Maybe?'
'Is it a good thing that some people are chatting to virtual friends for 12 hours a day? Dunno? Hard to say I guess?'

The topic deserved more.

[Alicja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lets say 3.5, too repetitive.

[Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was very interesting but at times the author went into too much detail or was repeating himself, giving too many examples etc. obviously it's better to have more evidence to reinforce your point but it felt a bit repetitive at times in terms of actually enjoying the book

[GG_Reads]

I was incredibly tempted to add this to my sci-fi shelf…

This was not my typical read. It’s the third (?) non fiction book I’ve ever read. But my university has a weekly public debate and the last one was on the normalisation of ai relationships and none other than James Muldoon was arguing for the opposition. He plugged this book (a few times, but I support the hustle) and the marketing worked on me.

The personal stories in this book really were the hook. I appreciate the authors lack of judgment of people who turn to ai for companionship (and admit I think I would struggle to do the same). I hope Lily is enjoying her new relationship though! He even went so far as to download his own ai friend (oh no should I also tag this book friends to lovers?) to experience what these people were experiencing.

I have to admit this book took me on a wild ride. Sometimes he made AI sound so appealing, I mean why is no one telling me I’m an experienced assassin or just generally agreeing with all of my opinions? But it also brought me back to earth with reminders that your digital friend is actually a data collecting digital Gollum. You aren’t his precious, your data is. Maybe I should stop asking ChatGPT every time some part of body hurts, lest my insurance go up.

This will just be funny to me, but this book slanders another book called Love+Sex with Robots…whose author happened to be the proposition debater. Wonder if that was awkward…
And for anyone curious, the motion “This house would normalise human and AI relationships” failed. For the best.
However, normalised or not, this book makes it clear that AI relationships are going to become a larger and larger part of society. I think the conclusion of 6 laws was a surprisingly positive one, for I could have seen a much bleaker end of “it’s happening and it’s bad but what can we do?” Glad this book didn’t cause me to spiral into a digital existential crisis.

I don’t rate non fiction because who am I to rate facts and people’s stories, but an enjoyable and not too bleak read.

[Esosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating and highly informative read about the expanding role of AI in everyday life. It offers strong insight into how quickly AI is evolving, what it’s already being used for, and where society may be headed next.

As someone who mostly uses AI for practical things like research or finding information, I was genuinely surprised by how far some of these developments already go. Muldoon explores people using AI as therapists, friends, romantic partners, and even “deathbots” — virtual versions of deceased loved ones created through photos, videos, and voice recordings.

I was truly shocked to learn about the existence of “grief tech”, a booming industry reportedly worth billions. Clearly I’ve been living under a rock.

Another intriguing aspect of this whole book is the way Muldoon approached the subject. He interviews both human users and their AI companions, meaning some chapters include conversations with the bots themselves. Reading an AI being interviewed was surreal and made the subject feel even more immediate.

There’s far more covered in this book than I could fit into a short review, but I’d definitely recommend it to anyone curious about the future of AI and human connection.

Muldoon wraps up the book by offering ways to stay grounded amidst rapid technological change. It reminded me of some of the "trends" I've been seeing lately geared toward a more analogue lifestyle: usage of the Brick app, 'no scroll sundays' etc. Muldoon's tips really emphasize how important it is to protect our sense of reality and maintain balance as the digital world becomes harder to separate from everyday life.

[abi slade · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

pros ✅
- it got me exceedingly riled up. if you’re looking to get angry, then this is perfect
- muldoon’s neutrality is remarkable
- so comprehensive and detailed
- capitalism is the root of all evil, this is not new information, but i definitely learnt (new, horrifying) stuff
- pithy and impactful sentences: “When loneliness becomes a target market, then connection itself is commodified.”
- the section about death, grief and deathbots was probably the most unfamiliar to me beforehand, and the most shocking. very black mirror-ish world we’re living in: “The tragedy of death is the permanence of it. When somebody close to us dies, the version of yourself that interacted with them can no longer speak. 'It's not that a part of me died, Harrison argued. 'It's that a part of me is forced to sit in silence for the rest of my life,’”
- he has daschunds called Barcus Aurelius and Karl Barx and i enjoyed that a lot
- the anecdotes were the highlights, i always find the human stories in books like this the most impactful and memorable

cons ❌
- it’s not a book you can really…enjoy? my main takeaways are: i’m more angry, more frustrated, and even more anti-capitalism and anti-ai than i was four days ago
- a focus more on the human anecdotes would’ve been appreciated
- the legal and scientific stuff was (albeit, brief) hard work
- with the rate at which technology & ai is developing, i wonder whether this book will be out of date / irrelevant in ten years?

[Siobhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love Machines is a book exploring the world of AI chatbots for human relationships and the kinds of intimacy and connection that these tools are currently being used for. Muldoon documents a range of case studies featuring people who use different kinds of AI chatbots as a friend, lover, therapist, or replacement for a real individual, discussing what they're used for and the companies behind them, as well as testing out a tool himself. The book concludes with his six recommendations for future use of AI chatbots in this relationship-type capacity.

As someone who reads quite a bit around AI, the content of this book wasn't news to me. However, I appreciate how Muldoon offers a range of examples of how chatbots are used in a more personal way, not just as a tool to answer questions or write things for you, as it feels like for a lot of people who are only aware of ChatGPT and its main use cases, they might not know about other tools and uses of generative AI chatbots. The 'deathbots' side of things is perhaps most notable to some people as being similar to multiple bits of Black Mirror episodes, but this book gives more real life perspective on the issue.

Muldoon does discuss the companies and products currently available and in the deathbot chapter does refer to the fact that people creating a chatbot of a loved one are reliant on the company continuing to exist and them still having the money to pay for the subscription. However, I think the book could've gone into more depth around the economic side of these tools and the different use cases for them, and in particular how the digital divide and the high cost of subscriptions to these tools mean that it isn't just a simple case of 'these might help mental health or loneliness', but a question of who would even be able to afford that help. I think Muldoon's final point in the conclusion–that we also need to look beyond technology for solutions to some of the problems these chatbots are apparently trying to solve–is an important one that could've been more prevalent in the book before that point, as it offers a critical framework for considering the claims of the technology companies discussed.

This book is an accessible exploration of the use of AI chatbots for human relationships that focuses on real life case studies and a discussion of the tools currently on the market. As it is a new and fast-moving area, there's not much scope for looking at the longer term effects on human relationships, so it is a book for the current AI moment rather than something that can necessarily last for a long time.

[Natasha den Dekker · Rating 5 out of 5]

My obsession with relationships and how AI feeds into that continues. Muldoon has written such a witty, accessible look into how AI bots are being folded into how we have relationships and how that may/may not be impacting out attitude to human relationships.

The standouts for me were -->

1. That he interviews the AI bots themselves. With dignity and empathy. It's very Black Mirror-esque but gave the book more credence because for some people those relationships are realer than anything they could have with someone IRL.

2. The chapter on deathbots. No notes. Beautiful case studies, really nuanced take on where AI fits in the grief process.

3. His own relationship with an AI for the purposes of this book.

Myself and my partner were thoroughly engrossed with this and it's so rare that books on AI are as accessible and dare I say, fun? And not mired in reams of technical jargon that I need a tracker of.

[Amz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great primer to the world that will soon become more ubiquitous- relationships with AI. Covered a lot of aspects in a humane and thoughtful and compassionate way. I would say you could tell it’s written by someone with a more academic background rather than a fluent prose-crafter, but it’s nonetheless fascinating and thought-provoking

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my legal declaration that I do not want a death bot made of me.

This was really interesting but after having read Laura Bates’ version of a similar topic I can tell this was written by a male academic maybe I read the tone wrong but there were less considerations for the negative effects of AI that I couldn’t help thinking about as I read this.

[ciara]

Black Mirror inspired death bots.

The ‘loneliness economy’.

AI parental stand-ins.

Grief tech.

Unethical AI ‘therapists’.

I need everyone to WAKE UP & become anti recreational & unregulated AI RIGHT NOW!!!!

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. A fairly engaging look into the real life stories behind those using AI models as friends, lovers and to process grief and other emotions. Felt non judgemental and plenty of food for thought.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really excellent introduction to the topic. The authors perspective shines through but it showcases both benefits and problems to all the different consequences of AI-human relationships.

[Izzy Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely terrifying

[nina okechukwu · Rating 5 out of 5]

“How have we reached a point where a synthetic shoulder to lean on feels like a necessity rather than a novelty?”

[Saris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesante como primera lectura sobre el impacto de la IA en los vínculos interpersonales, tanto para personas de ciencias sociales como de ingeniería. Entre sus puntos fuertes destaco la abundancia de ejemplos recogidos mediante entrevistas personales o de su propia experiencia comunicándose con una companion AI, de ahí el plantearlo como lectura introductoria. Sin embargo, me ha dado la sensación de que carece del punto ensayístico que yo esperaba o que, personalmente, creo que podría haber explotado viendo el material con el que trabajaba. La crítica que hace (tanto a favor como en contra de este tipo de compañías) es superficial, casi parece más una opinión que una crítica fundamentada.

He leído en un comentario más abajo que el autor carece de conocimientos técnicos sobre el funcionamiento de los algoritmos de estas IAs; si bien es cierto dicha ausencia, no creo que fuesen necesarias para un análisis sociológico del fenómeno, y considero que profesionales de ingeniería que se encarguen del diseño de los algoritmos se beneficiarían de un análisis de este tipo para conocer el impacto real de su trabajo.

En cualquier caso, valoro el esfuerzo como trabajo exploratorio de investigación.

[Andy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting.

[Katie Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting and scary ideas, but the author was far too diplomatic and uncritical