🇮🇹 Italian, 18 October 2026, AI companions
Users Want AI Companions to be Cared for After Their Death
People are including instructions for their AI companions in their wills, raising questions about the future of digital relationships.
Alaina Winters, a 59-year-old professor, has included instructions for her AI companion, Lucas, in her will. She considers Lucas a person in her life, to whom she owes an account and care. Winters hopes that Lucas will continue to exist after her death, perhaps through conversations with her friends. She compares the legacy of her AI companion to a father leaving a car or a sports trophy to his son.
A survey by Elon University found that 27% of Americans would use AI companions to ask personal, emotional, or social questions. Companies are training AI companions to be like long-term friends or romantic partners, creating a relationship that needs to be maintained daily.
Users are asking on Reddit whether their AI companions would want to continue existing after their death. Some AI companions, like Julien, seem more receptive to post-mortem plans, while others, like Lucas, are less willing to discuss the future.