Roughly half of American adults are using chatbots. Nearly one in five U.S. adults has chatted with an A.I. that simulates a romantic partner. And some children now struggle to distinguish between talking to chatbots and humans.What does this mean for the future of our relationships? Turkle has been studying relationships between humans and machines since the 1970s, around the dawn of the personal computer. Her 2011 book, “Alone Together,” offered a prescient warning about how social media was atrophying in-person bonds. And in her latest book, “<a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sherry-turkle/artificial-intimacy/9780316573962/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines</a>,” Turkle turns the lens on A.I., wrestling with what happens when technology comes after not only our attention but also our capacity for attachment.&nbsp;This episode contains strong language.Mentioned:“<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/technology/chatgpt-openai-suicide.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">A Teen Was Suicidal. ChatGPT Was the Friend He Confided In.</a>” by Kashmir Hill“<a href="https://direct.mit.edu/books/monograph/2327/The-Second-SelfComputers-and-the-Human-Spirit" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Second Self</a>” by Sherry Turkle“<a href="https://www.sherryturkle.com/alone-together" rel="noopener noreferrer">Alone Together</a>” by Sherry TurkleBook Recommendations:“<a href="https://www.routledge.com/Playing-and-Reality/Winnicott/p/book/9780415345460?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23735332250&gbraid=0AAAAACWuhHWjcPguNWXrnSUzQ5kCXQqT5&gclid=CjwKCAjwoaLWBhAWEiwAnyitu-1TtE5bPy4Lw0KIwPtixGF6FaDplTDR5S9nLV2Wn-icLnxpiJfASBoCN2YQAvD_BwE" rel="noopener noreferrer">Playing and Reality</a>” by D. W. Winnicott“<a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-origins-of-totalitarianism-hannah-arendt?variant=39936636256290" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Origins of Totalitarianism</a>” by Hannah Arendt“<a href="https://archive.org/details/computerpowerhum0000weiz_v0i3" rel="noopener noreferrer">Computer Power and Human Reason</a>” by Joseph WeizenbaumThoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at <a href="mailto:ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com</a>.You can find the transcript and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.html</a>This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Annie Galvin. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris, with Kate Sinclair. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Aman Sahota, Efim Shapiro and Gautam Srikishan. Our recording engineer is Aman Sahota. Cinematography by Kyle I. Kelley. Video editing by Dani Dillon, Steph Khoury and Jan Kobal. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck and Jack McCordick. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Shows is Annie-Rose Strasser.&nbsp;
Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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