Word of Mouth

Author: BBC Radio 4

Series exploring the world of words and the ways in which we use them
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Language: en

Genres: Society & Culture

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Can AI be our friend?
Thursday, 22 January, 2026

Michael Rosen talks to digital anthropologist Jennifer Cearns about the rise of AI companions- how do we talk to AI, and how does AI talk to us? They discuss how chatbots work, whether Michael is replaceable, different application for AI, including romantic partners and griefbots, and what happens when an AI companion goes wrong.Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sally Heaven, in partnership with the Open University. Subscribe to the Word of Mouth podcast and never miss an episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b006qtnz