An AI companion is an AI chatbot designed to simulate an ongoing relationship, such as a friend, partner, or confidant, rather than to complete tasks or answer questions.

Unlike a general chatbot, which you’d typically use for a specific question or task, a companion chatbot is built to remember details about you, hold long-running conversations, and feel more like an ongoing relationship than a one-off exchange. Character.AI and Replika are examples.

This topic is covered in more detail in the podcast episode on AI companions.