What Is an AI Companion? Pillar
A field guide for 2026. Where they came from, how they actually work, why people keep falling for them, and what they cannot do.
Field guide
A field guide to AI companions
For people figuring out what they are, how they work, and whether one is for them.
AI companions are not a niche curiosity. The largest companion app has tens of millions of users. The category is older than most people realize and growing faster than most coverage suggests. This section is the orientation: what they are, where they came from, what they can and cannot do, and how to think about whether one is for you.
How to Choose the Right AI Companion Pillar Coming
A decision framework based on what you actually want, plus a quiz to point you at the right app.
How Much Do AI Companions Cost in 2026? Coming
Free tiers, paid tiers, and what each subscription level actually unlocks.
How AI Companions Actually Work Coming
Plain-English explanation of LLMs, memory, system prompts, and the rest of the stack.
Are AI Companions Safe to Use? Coming
Privacy, dependency, and the company-can-change-your-companion problem.