Bryony Cole

Bryony Cole, a sextech researcher studying AI companionship and ethical synthetic intimacy, explores what we trade when we turn to machines for closeness. She discusses why AI’s effortless availability is so alluring. She lays out three questions to evaluate synthetic relationships. She warns that human messiness and boundaries matter for genuine connection.

Bryony Cole, a sextech researcher and speaker on human-machine intimacy, explores how AI companions are reshaping connection. She describes who uses them and why. She discusses ethical and privacy risks, the balance between customization and serendipity, AI’s roles in caregiving and sex education, and her idea of an “intimacy operating system” to guide healthy hybrid relationships.