[Sir_Burpalot]

>I craved connection so badly it compelled me to try to "improve" myself to be more like others. I'd be completely fucked today if someone offered a fake, effortless alternative.

As long as someone makes enough effort to pay the bills and not neglect their health, I don't see why anything more should be necessary. It certainly beats having to adopt hobbies you don't like or learning to lie about your feelings in order to appeal to potential partners (both common pieces of advice for nerdy men).

>I don't think parasocial relationships are actually working out for anyone.

The tech isn't quite there yet, but we've seen immense progress just over the past couple of years.

>Your chances of finding a human companion who isn't a piece of shit is way higher than finding an ethical tech company to pour your heart out to though.

It seems that the solution here, just as with other software, is to make AI companions open source.