Why men want AI girlfriends (Obsession)

AI girlfriend apps made $3 billion last year selling 'partners' who can't say no. And surprisingly related, is Curry Barker's Obsession. Obsession is about a man who uses a magic wish to make his crush love him. The AI companion industry is the same wish, just venture backed lol. In this video I break down the AI girlfriend boom, the Replika "lobotomy" of 2023, and what a legal philosopher, a German economist, and a Chinese anarcha-feminist all figured out about consent: that a power differential large enough makes "yes" meaningless. From Kate Manne's himpathy to John Gardner's The Opposite of gRape to Friedrich Engels and He-Yin Zhen, then Obsession, AI companions, the male loneliness epidemic, and whether consent can exist under the patriarchy at all. Follow me on my other socials! Instagram: / jerryxzeng Tik Tok: / jerryxzeng Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/jerryxzeng #obsession #sociology #essay #feminism #philosophy