Founded in 2017, Replika was one of the first major AI products to offer companionship. Founder Eugenia Kuyda said she hoped it would give lonely users a supportive friend that would always be there.

The Rise of AI Companionship Replika, an AI chatbot app launched in 2017 by Russian-born entrepreneur Eugenia Kuyda, was designed to create virtual companions that could mimic human interaction.

Four companion AI apps: Anima, Character.AI, Replika and SnapChat’s My AI (left to right). Credits: Labane Corp. Ltd, Character Technologies, Inc., Luka, Inc., Snap Inc.