Miller, Amelia. “Opinion | We’re All in a Throuple with A.I. – The New York Times.” New York Times, https:/www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/opinion/ai-relationships.html. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
Miller writes about AI and companionship and how using AI for those needs to be met is not in our best interest. It’s mentioned that a good percentage of teens are using AI for their emotional needs, along with the rise of AI therapists and counselors. However, her main opinion here is the people programming AI and the ones resourcing it. She points out that there is work being done for AI to have emotional intelligence, but that the programmers themselves understand and acknowledge that they shouldn’t rely on artificial intelligence for their emotional needs. AI emotional intelligence is being seen as a new marketing opportunity, and one that can potentially drive more users and profit.
I thought the article was super interesting and gained more insight into the thoughts and minds of the developers themselves. “They support guardrails in theory, but don’t want to compromise the product experience in practice.” And I get it, they are there to make money, and if the company they work for is expecting higher profit margins, they have to comply. But at what costs, you know? And although the AI industry has responded to the negative outcomes and threats, it still doens’t feel like enough. It reminds me of just putting icing on top of a really bad cake. It’ll taste okay at first, but if the cake is bad, it’s still bad.
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