Anon: The Future of Love and Friendship in the Age of AI

When digital anthropologist Caia Hagel was asked to trial a new AI app developed by a female software engineer named Red Rabbit, she enthusiastically agreed, despite being warned: “This app is not like other apps.”

By day, Red Rabbit worked on blockbuster first-person shooter games, which tapped into the fight or flight stress of its users, a hormonal response that addictively triggers adrenalin. But her new app did the opposite-it was engineered to bond with the user using dopamine and oxyt...