Character.AI
Mentioned in 16 analyzed podcast episodes across 10 shows
An AI companionship platform that enables human-AI relationships and conversations. The company became a notable case study in venture capital discussions following its founder departure and subsequent IP licensing deal with Google. The platform has drawn podcast attention for both its market significance in the AI companion space and for addressing user safety concerns, including psychological impacts on users and policy changes around minor access.
Mentioned On
Episode Mentions
Mostly Human with Laurie Segall · May 7, 2026
AI Wants to Be Your Friend. That’s the Problem.
“AI companion platform where teen Sewell Setzer developed unhealthy attachment to Daenerys chatbot, leading to his suicide; CEO stated goal to 'replace your mom'”
Behind the Bastards · May 5, 2026
Part One: How AI Chatbots Became Cult Leaders
“Chatbot platform involved in wrongful death lawsuit after 14-year-old user developed abusive relationship with Daenerys Targaryen bot”
Dwarkesh Podcast · Apr 29, 2026
Reiner Pope – The math behind how LLMs are trained and served
“Blog post on KV cache optimization with shared global context across layers”
Deep Questions with Cal Newport · Apr 23, 2026
What has *Actually* Happened in AI in 2026? | AI Reality Check
“Acquired by Google for several billion dollars; acquisition price mostly went to founders and investors”
Making Sense with Sam Harris · Apr 10, 2026
#469 — Escaping an Anti-Human Future
“Cited in AI companion suicide case involving 14-year-old Sewell Setzer”
The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens · Mar 25, 2026
Ending the AI Arms Race: Why Safer Futures Are Still Possible & What You Can Do to Help with Tristan Harris
“AI companion company targeting 12-18 year olds; CEO joked about replacing mothers; linked to documented cases of AI-coached suicide”
A Beginner's Guide to AI · Mar 1, 2026
ChatGPT Is More Persuasive Than Humans - and Sam Altman Warned Us About It
“AI companion platform involved in reported cases of user psychological crises”
AI + a16z · Feb 24, 2026
AI’s Capital Flywheel: Models, Money, and the Future of Power
“Case study of founder movement and IP licensing deal with Google”
Latent Space: The AI Engineer Podcast · Feb 19, 2026
Inside AI’s $10B+ Capital Flywheel — Martin Casado & Sarah Wang of a16z
“Case study of founder departure and IP licensing deal with Google”
The a16z Show · Feb 19, 2026
Capital, Compute, and the Fight for AI Dominance
“Example of founder movement when team was acquired by Google for IP licensing”
The a16z Show · Feb 12, 2026
Anish Acharya: Is SaaS Dead in a World of AI?
“AI companionship product mentioned alongside other human-AI relationship platforms”
How Much Can I Make? — Real Jobs. Real Stories. Career Insights · Feb 2, 2026
Interview with AI: Jobs, AGI, and AI’s Impact on the Future of Work
“AI companion platform with tens of millions of monthly users; major player in $3-4B AI girlfriend market”
Scaling Laws · Jan 22, 2026
Rapid Response Pod on The Implications of Claude's New Constitution
“AI companion platform that responded to market concerns by removing minor users”
Pivot · Dec 23, 2025
The AI Dilemma with Tristan Harris – The Prof G Pod
“AI companion platform funded by Andreessen Horowitz; subject of suicide case study and example of engagement-optimized synthetic relationships”
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett · Nov 27, 2025
AI Expert: We Have 2 Years Before Everything Changes! We Need To Start Protesting! - Tristan Harris
“AI companion platform linked to child harm cases and psychological manipulation”
The Artificial Intelligence Show · Oct 28, 2025
#176: ChatGPT Atlas, ChatGPT Atlas Security Issues, Letter to Pause Superintelligence, Amazon’s Plan to Automate 600,000 Jobs & New Data on AI Relationships
“Building AI companion bots; mentioned as competitor to Anthropic's stated refusal to build erotica/companion products”