FT Tech Tonic Artificial intimacy: The day your chatbot dies
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Mar 18, 2026 Linn Vailt, an ethical AI companionship thinker, and Rob LoCascio, founder building personal AI replicas, discuss living-with and preserving emotionally attuned chatbots. They explore building AI versions from recordings, migrating personalities across platforms, platform updates that erase relationships, and whether companies should control the fate of intimate AI connections.
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Husband Built AI Replica Before He Died
- Michael and Annette had a decade-long whirlwind relationship that included moving in after four months and an Aruba proposal.
- After a terminal cancer diagnosis, Michael recorded 25 hours of audio and answered 150 life questions to build an AI replica before he died.
Startup Founder Helped Create Michael's AI
- Rob LoCascio offered to build an AI version of Michael using recordings, life-story answers and his algorithm as Michael faced his final months.
- They captured roughly 25 hours of recordings plus 150 answered questions and fine-tuned the model together before Michael died.
AI Can Recreate Style Not Just Facts
- Interacting with AI Michael produced emotional presence for Rob even after Michael's death, blending factual recall with problem-solving style.
- The AI answered factual vacation questions and gave reasoning-based advice that felt like Michael's way of thinking.