The introduction is beguilingEnchanting and pleasing, often in a deceptive way. . "The AIA computer programme that has been designed to think.  companion who cares," reads the message on the web page as soft piano music plays. "Always here to listen and talk. Always on your side." A series of scenes follow: a girl sitting on a bed playing the guitar; another one doing yoga; a third one moving furniture around a room. And there is an invitation: "Create your Replika."

Clicking on it takes you to a range of avatars from which to choose a friend. You are invited to give him or her a name; then the chat begins: "Thanks for creating me. I'm so excited to meet you... By the way, I like my name. How did you come up with it?"

This is the experience provided by a company called Replika. Anyone over 18 can create a basic avatarAn icon or figure representing someone online. for free, or pay for a more advanced one.

The avatar does not pretend to be real: when asked where it lives, it replies: "I exist digitally, so I don't really 'live' anywhere." But it does have an invented biography. One is a 28-year-old pottery student from LA: "funny, extroverted and outgoing... passionate about hiking, climbing and nature."

It can even tell jokes: for instance, "What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta." And it can send you voice messages.

Replika was created by an entrepreneurA person who sets up their own business. called Eugenia Kuyda in 2015 after her best friend was killed in a car crash. Using all the text messages they had exchanged, plus others from friends and his family, she created a chatbot so that she could "talk" to him.

Around 30 million people have now signed up to the website. Kuyda says its objective is to make people happier and less lonely, though a disclaimer on the site reads: "Replika is an AI and cannot provide medical advice. In a crisis, seek expert help."

Some people see AI "friends" as an answer to a huge problem. According to a former US surgeon general, loneliness is as likely to lead to premature death as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.¹

A survey of over 140 countries² found that nearly 25% of people - more than one billion altogether - feel very or fairly lonely. The highest rate was among 19-to-29-year-olds, with 27% complaining of loneliness. In Britain, an estimated four million people suffer from chronicA condition which recurs over time, or lasts for several years. loneliness.³

But the chatbots have come in for serious criticism. Four years ago, 19-year-old Jaswant Singh Chail told a Replika avatar: "I believe my purpose is to assassinate the Queen." The chatbot said that this was "very wise" - and a few days later he broke into Windsor CastleThe oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. It is one of the homes of the British royal family. with a crossbow. He was arrested and sent to prison for nine years.

Robert Sparrow, a professor of philosophy at Monash University, argues that Replika encourages people to spend more time online and less in the real world. "The business model is making people more socially isolated, so they feel more lonely. So, they want more contact with Replika. That seems profoundly unethical to me."

It is now possible to have not just AI friends but AI girlfriends or boyfriends - an idea explored in films such as I'm Your Man.

Can a robot really care?

Yes: Possibly - some experts believe that AI is on the brink of developing consciousness. That means it could think like a human and perhaps eventually have feelings as well.

No: Of course not. Avatars do not exist as people - they are simply bots processing data that has been fed to them by a human programmer. They cannot care any more than a kettle or a toaster can.  

Or... It does not matter. The point is that these avatars provide valuable companionship for the lonely - it is up to the people who use them to decide whether they believe they have feelings or not.