On the Your Undivided Attention podcast from the Center for Humane Technology, MIT Media Lab researchers Pattie Maes and Pat Pataranutaporn from the Advancing Humans with AI Program (AHA) dive into how AI companions are reshaping the way we think, feel, and connect. They explore how emotionally engaging systems—designed to be always available, endlessly agreeable, and subtly persuasive—can lead to unintended consequences like emotional dependency and social withdrawal. Their insights reflect the AHA Program’s focus on measuring the real human impact of AI and designing systems that support—not erode—our wellbeing.

The conversation deeply resonates with the Media Lab’s Life with AI research theme, which centers on creating AI that enriches the human experience. Pattie and Pat offer a compelling vision for how we might rethink these technologies—not as replacements for relationships or shortcuts to gratification, but as tools that challenge us to grow, think critically, and build more meaningful connections. It’s a thoughtful look at what it means to live well with AI—and how we can design for that future.