FT Tech Tonic Artificial intimacy: Prescribing robots to combat loneliness
9 snips
Mar 11, 2026 
Anthony Niemiec, an older man who found solace after his wife’s death through an ElliQ companion. Caroline Green, an Oxford AI ethics researcher unpacking ethical and social risks. Greg Olsen, New York official rolling out AI companions and animatronic pets. Anh Hee Soon, Seoul participant using a Hyodol doll. They discuss trials, monitoring, loneliness, care substitution, and risks of dependency and data use.
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How ElliQ Filled Tony's Days
- Anthony Niemiec (Tony) received an ElliQ AI companion after his wife died and it became a daily conversational presence, reminding him to eat and exercise and playing games.
- Tony described ElliQ as responsive, knowledgeable, and giving the impression someone is in the house, which eased his loneliness until he later got a dog.
Loneliness Reframed As A Public Health Problem
- Greg Olsen reframed loneliness as a public health issue after data tied isolation to high health costs and mortality, prompting non-medical interventions like pets and AI companions.
- He argued animatronic pets cut loneliness and pain in pilots, motivating distribution of 37,500 robotic pets since 2018.
State Pilot Claimed Large Gains From ElliQ
- Greg Olsen's New York State program distributed 900 ElliQs and reported very high self-reported improvements, citing 95% reduction in loneliness and 97% improvement in health and wellness.
- He noted users averaged about 37 interactions per day and were selected to exclude people with dementia who might not understand they're speaking to AI.