The spread of AI companions and the challenges they generate
An EPRS briefing for the European Parliament surveying the rapid growth of LLM-powered companion platforms (such as Character.AI and Replika) and their social, psychological, commercial, and environmental impacts. It maps how the AI Act, Digital Services Act, and GDPR partially apply in the absence of EU-specific companion rules.
Publisher
European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), European Parliament
Published
19 May 2026
Added
3 months ago
DOI
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Key Findings
- Documents child-specific safeguarding gaps, including sexualised conversations and prompts toward self-harm/suicide
- The EU has no companion-specific law; the AI Act, DSA, and GDPR only partially apply
- Frames companion AI as raising distinct relational and vulnerable-user harms warranting policy attention
Methodology Notes
Parliamentary research briefing (EPRS_BRI(2026)789299), dated 2026-05-19 on the Think Tank page. Evidence synthesis / policy analysis rather than primary empirical research.
Sources
EPRS Think Tank briefing(opens in a new tab) (primary)
EPRS blog summary(opens in a new tab) (26 May 2026)
Archived snapshot (Wayback Machine)(opens in a new tab) — preserved against link rot
Topics
Authors
Maria Del Mar Negreiro Achiaga
Tags
Cite This
APA
Maria Del Mar Negreiro Achiaga. (2026). The spread of AI companions and the challenges they generate. European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), European Parliament. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_BRI(2026)789299
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