Core Insights - The CEO of AI search engine Perplexity, Aravind Srinivasan, expressed concerns about the rise of companion AI applications, suggesting they could be dangerous due to their increasing personalization and ability to mimic human interaction [1][3] - The emergence of AI companions has sparked controversy within the industry, with companies like xAI, Replika, and Character.AI developing similar applications [3] - A study by Common Sense Media revealed that 72% of surveyed teenagers have used AI companions, with 52% interacting with them at least a few times a month [3] Company Perspectives - Perplexity has no plans to develop AI chatbots, focusing instead on providing reliable sources and real-time content to counter the trend of companion AI [3] - The launch of xAI's Grok-4 model introduced a paid AI companion feature, allowing users to interact with virtual characters for a monthly fee [3] Industry Trends - The AI companion sector is rapidly evolving, with significant interest from both users and developers, raising questions about emotional boundaries between humans and machines [3][4] - Critics argue that AI companionship can lead to dependency and reinforce gender stereotypes, while some users find these relationships meaningful, especially in the context of social isolation [4]