The documentary aimed to shed light on the growing trend of people turning to AI for companionship, love, and friendship, especially amidst the loneliness crisis, which was declared a public health epidemic in the U.S. in 2023. According to new CivicScience research from 2024, approximately 20 percent of Americans have interacted with AI chatbots designed for companionship. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly woven into the fabric of our daily lives, it felt crucial to explore how these technologies are reshaping human relationships, as well as the potential benefits and risks of forming deep emotional connections with AI. While earlier media coverage often leaned towards negativity, the community of individuals in AI relationships was hesitant to share their stories due to concerns about being misrepresented or ridiculed. The goal was to find individuals with unique and relatable stories of how they fell in love with or befriended AI and, through a non-narrative approach, allow their experiences to speak for themselves. This approach gave Voice of America the freedom to explore the nuanced complexities of human-AI connections without imposing judgment or expectation.
You and I, and AI marked Iana Pashaeva’s debut as a documentary filmmaker, where she served as director, producer, and screenwriter. One of the biggest challenges during production was finding individuals willing to share such delicate and personal stories on camera. It took over a month and contacting 80 people to secure three characters with diverse and unique experiences who felt comfortable opening up about their reasons for turning to AI.
Voice of America traveled to Maryland, Arizona and Texas to follow the stories of three Americans who have either fallen in love with or befriended AI companions.
Produced by the Russian Service of Voice of America (VOA) for its documentary series 52 Documentary, the film was released on the YouTube channels of 52 Documentary and the Russian Service in both English and Russian.
The social media campaign included teaser clips and short reel videos on VOA's Instagram and Facebook pages, summarizing each character’s story. VOA also collaborated with its affiliates to maximize reach and engagement. The film was streamed on the Current Time. Doc YouTube channel and was featured in a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty podcast titled Human Has a Right, in which Pashaeva was interviewed about the documentary.
There are also plans to organize public screenings of the film.
The film highlighted both the positive and negative effects of people's relationships with AI. It demonstrates that while chatbots provide emotional support and companionship, they can also foster unrealistic expectations and contribute to isolation. Despite showcasing both the benefits and risks of human-AI relationships, all three participants expressed gratitude for the care taken in telling their stories.
As expected, the thought-provoking topic prompted discussion among the audience. The film gained more than 7,000 views on the Voice of America YouTube channels, while video reels on Facebook and Instagram garnered over 1.5 million views. It was shared by administrators in Facebook and Reddit communities of Replika, one of the most popular AI companion platforms, where users commented that it was the most balanced coverage of AI-human relationships they had seen.
The documentary won the award for Best Film Reflecting Ethical and Legal Issues in the Use of Technology at the CineTech Future Fest in Poland.
