Everything about Replika

🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path

1. Read the overview: ReplikaA 5-minute orientation
2. Skim a recent paper: The quasi-domestication of social chatbots: The case of ReplikaInfluential work since 2022
3. Pick up a classic book: The Boy at the Top of the MountainThe most-reprinted book on the subject
4. Read the landmark paper: Exploring relationship development with social chatbots: A mixed-method study of replikaCited 538 times
5. Go sideways: Character.aiA closely related topic
6. Go sideways: Chai AIA closely related topic

🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)

• Exploring relationship development with social chatbots: A mixed-method study of replika

  Iryna Pentina, Tyler Hancock, Tianling Xie · 2023 · Computers in Human Behavior · 538 citations

• Too human and not human enough: A grounded theory analysis of mental health harms from emotional dependence on the social chatbot Replika

  Linnea Laestadius, Andrea Bishop, Michael Gonzalez · 2022 · New Media & Society · 421 citations

• Ideal technologies, ideal women: AI and gender imaginaries in Redditors’ discussions on the Replika bot girlfriend

  Iliana Depounti, Paula Saukko, Simone Natale · 2022 · Media, Culture & Society · 128 citations

• Constructing the meaning of human– AI romantic relationships from the perspectives of users dating the social chatbot Replika

  Shuyi Pan, Yi Mou · 2024 · Personal Relationships · 77 citations

• Psychoanalyzing artificial intelligence: the case of Replika

  Luca M. Possati · 2022 · AI & SOCIETY · 61 citations

• “Replika Removing Erotic Role-Play Is Like Grand Theft Auto Removing Guns or Cars”: Reddit Discourse on Artificial Intelligence Chatbots and Sexual Technologies

  Kenneth R. Hanson, Hannah Bolthouse · 2024 · Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World · 46 citations

• Replika in the Metaverse: the moral problem with empathy in ‘It from Bit’

  Andrew McStay · 2022 · AI and Ethics · 42 citations

• Replika: Spiritual Enhancement Technology?

  Tracy J. Trothen · 2022 · Religions · 24 citations

🆕 Influential since 2022

• The quasi-domestication of social chatbots: The case of Replika

  Gina Neff, Peter Nagy · 2025 · New Media & Society · 12 citations

• Grooming an ideal chatbot by training the algorithm: Exploring the exploitation of Replika users’ immaterial labor

  Shuyi Pan, Leopoldina Fortunati, Autumn Edwards · 2025 · New Media & Society · 11 citations

• “Forever and Always, My Love”: Emotions in Human–AI Romantic Relationship Building and Breakup With Generative AI Chatbot Replika

  Jamie Jana Jocher, Roland Verwiebe · 2026 · Social Media + Society · 11 citations

• Replika y la compañía de la inteligencia artificial emocional

  Jorge Luis Morton Gutiérrez · 2022 · VISUAL REVIEW. International Visual Culture Review / Revista Internacional de Cultura Visual · 7 citations

• What do people say about Replika, an AI chatbot, on social media? Investigating diverse perspectives on the implications of Replika through a topic modeling analysis

  Jihyun Kim, Xianlin Jin, Kun Xu · 2024 · The Social Science Journal · 5 citations

📚 Books worth reading

• The Boy at the Top of the MountainJohn Boyne · 2015
• LIFEL1K3Jay Kristoff · 2018
• 📕Edward GierekJanusz Rolicki · 1990
• The Chosen ChildGraham Masterton · 1997
• WolynMarek A. Koprowski · 2013
• 📕S pravo na replikaKhinko Khinchev · 2007
• 📕New methods of reproduction of books & manuscriptsNorman Parley · 1928
• 📕ReplikaKlaus Bonn · 2006

Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.

🔗 Related topics

• Character.ai Character.ai (also known as c.ai, char.ai or Character AI) is a generative AI chatbot service where users can engage in conversations with customizable…
• Chai AI Chai AI (also known as Chai Research) is an American artificial intelligence (AI) company that operates a chatbot platform where users can create, share…
• AI-induced psychosis AI-induced psychosis (also called AI psychosis, chatbot psychosis or cyber psychosis) is a phenomenon in which individuals reportedly develop or experience…
• Chatbot A chatbot (originally chatterbot) is a software application, or associated user interface, designed to converse through text or speech, functioning as…
• Human–AI interaction Human–AI interaction is a field of research and a sub-field of human–computer interaction, focusing on user experience and psychological factors. With…
• Artificial human companion An artificial human companion is a device or application designed to simulate companionship through social, emotional, or relational interaction. Examples…
• Artificial intimacy Artificial intimacy is a form of human–AI interaction in which an individual will form social connections, emotional bonds, or intimate relationships with…
• Deaths linked to chatbots There have been multiple incidents where interaction with a large language model (LLM) chatbot has been cited as a direct or contributing factor in a person's…