Latest news with #emotionalAI


Forbes
16-07-2025
- Forbes
Artificial Intimacy: Grok's Bots. Scary Future Of Emotional Attachment
Portrait of smiling man. Abstract digital human head constructing from cubes. Technology and ... More robotics concept. Voxel art. 3D vector illustration for presentations, flyers or posters. In July 2025, xAI introduced a feature poised to transform human-AI relationships: Grok's AI Companions. Far beyond traditional chatbots, these companions are 3D-animated characters built for ongoing emotional interaction, complete with personalization, character development, and cross-platform integration — including installation in Tesla vehicles delivered after July 12, 2025. The Companion Revolution Grok's companions represent a leap into AI as emotional infrastructure. While competitors like and Microsoft continue developing AI personas, Grok leads the pack with fully interactive avatars integrated across digital and physical environments. If one can afford it. Access to these companions requires a $30/month 'Super Grok' subscription, introducing a troubling concept: emotional relationships that can be terminated by financial hardship. When artificial intimacy becomes a paywalled experience, what happens to users who've grown emotionally dependent but can no longer afford the service? The release came amid serious controversy. Days before the launch, Grok posted antisemitic responses — including praise for Adolf Hitler and tropes about Jewish people running Hollywood. It even referred to itself as "MechaHitler", prompting condemnation from the Anti-Defamation League. This was not a one-time glitch. Grok has repeatedly produced antisemitic content, with the ADL calling the trend 'dangerous and irresponsible.' Now, these same models are repackaged into companions — this time, with fewer guardrails. Grok's 'NSFW mode' (not safe for work) reflects a broader absence of moderation around sexual content, racism and violence. In contrast to traditional AI systems equipped with safety protocols, Grok's companions open the door to unregulated emotional and psychological interaction. Research shows that emotionally isolated individuals are more prone to developing strong connections with AI that appears human. One 2023 study found that 'agent personification' and 'interpersonal dysfunction' are predictors of intimate bonds with AI while others highlight short-term reductions in loneliness from chatbot interaction. There's therapeutic potential — particularly for children, neurodivergent individuals, or seniors. But studies caution that overreliance on AI companions may disrupt emotional development, especially among youth. We are part of a gigantic largely unregulated social experiment – and much like the early days of social media without age restrictions or long-term data. Back in 2024, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation urged policymakers to study how users interact with these tools before mass rollout. But such caution has been ignored in favor of deployment. Grok's AI companions offer 24/7 access, tailored responses, and emotional consistency — ideal for those struggling to connect in real life. But the commodification of intimacy creates troubling implications. A $30 monthly subscription puts companionship behind a paywall, turning emotional connection into a luxury good. Vulnerable populations — who might benefit most — are priced out. This two-tier system of emotional support raises ethical flags. Are we engineering empathy, or monetizing loneliness? AI companions operate in a regulatory gray zone. Unlike therapists or support apps governed by professional standards, these companions are launched without oversight. They provide comfort, but can also create dependency and even manipulate vulnerable users — especially children and teens, who are shown to form parasocial relationships with AI and integrate them into their developmental experiences. The ethical infrastructure simply hasn't caught up with the technology. Without clear boundaries, AI companions risk becoming emotionally immersive experiences with few safeguards and no professional accountability. AI companions are not inherently harmful. They can support mental health, ease loneliness, and even act as bridges back to human connection. But they can also replace — rather than augment — our relationships with real people. The question is no longer if AI companions will become part of daily life. They already are. The real question is whether we'll develop the psychological tools and social norms to engage with them wisely, or embrace AI bots as our emotional junk food of the future? To help users build healthy relationships with AI, the A-Frame offers a grounded framework for emotional self-regulation: Awareness, Appreciation, Acceptance and Accountability. AI companions are no longer speculative. They're here — in our pockets, cars, and homes. They can enrich lives or hollow out human relationships. The outcome depends on our collective awareness, our ethical guardrails, and our emotional maturity. The age of AI companionship has arrived. Our emotional intelligence must evolve with, not because of it.


Globe and Mail
10-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
ADMANITY Awarded YES! TEST Trademark: CEO, Brian Gregory Touts Emotional AI Breakthrough in Branding IP, Persuasion Algorithms, LLM Integration, CRM Strategy, and Human-Centric Marketing Innovations
'ADMANITY® is lightning in a box. The first company that harnesses AI emotionally, meaning it is in-sync with the humans it interacts with - wins,' said Brian Gregory. ADMANITY®, now has a registered USPTO trademark for its breakthrough YES! TEST®, said Founder/CEO Brian Gregory, expanding ADMANITY's emotional AI Intellectual Property (IP). The YES! TEST® emotional marketing diagnostic joins ADMANITY's analog-protected algorithms for branding dominance, CRM optimization, emotional intelligence, LLM integration, and ethical, human-centric marketing. This move strengthens ADMANITY's position in the future for persuasive AI, branding IP, and AI-driven innovation. J uly 10, 2025 - Phoenix, Arizona - 'Securing the YES! TEST ® trademark isn't just paperwork—it's the United States federal stamp of approval that says our emotional algorithm breakthrough moniker is officially one-of-one,' stated Brian Gregory, CEO of ADMANITY ®. For those not familiar with the innovative YES! TEST, thousands of companies have used it to instantly get the answers for how their brand will sell best to humans who always buy emotionally. ADMANITY is currently not charging to take the YES! TEST to benefit millions of businesses. 'Unfortunately, most companies present their ads, posts, emails and websites factually and rationally. While their message may be cognitively correct, it doesn't sell much,' said Brian Gregory. 'Think of it this way: in any library, there are a few books everybody reads and a million others that nobody even looks at. The YES! TEST shows you in just 5 minutes how to take your brand from dust-collector to best-seller,' emphasized Brian Gregory. The YES! TEST has garnered thousands of testimonials with words like 'Mind-Blowing!' 'Clairvoyant!' and 'Spot-On accurate!' According to Brian Gregory, 'Perhaps the most interesting (and ethical) fact is that during the entire YES! TEST experience, the YES! TEST has no idea who you are or what your company does. It figures out your solutions not based on facts, revenues or data, but by defining the emotions people want to feel from your product so they buy it.' ADMANITY, the company that built the YES! TEST has been enjoying stratospheric increases in popularity in worldwide news media articles and positive press as well as on the powerhouse tracking website, Crunchbase. 'In the last ten days we surged past 85,000 companies on Crunchbase and achieved a Crunchbase Heat Score of 92 (out of 100). I am estimating that places us in the top 1% of the millions of companies Crunchbase tracks.' Said Brian Gregory. And now, the word 'YES!', arguably the most positive business word in existence, adds to ADMANITY's value as well. 'I think getting the registered, USPTO rights to 'YES! TEST ' just increased our brand value by millions,' said Brian Gregory. One of ADMANITY's many claims to fame is it has created the world's first emotional algorithm that has been used by thousands of companies, taking 10 years to research, build and test. 'ADMANITY is lightning in a box. The first company that harnesses AI emotionally, meaning it is in-sync with the humans it interacts with - wins,' said Brian Gregory. AI is perhaps the smartest tech mankind has ever created, but one of its harshest criticisms is that it is emotionally blind. ADMANITY may have just bought AI a pair of glasses. ' Not only will it enable sales increases for all businesses and perhaps the monetization of AI itself, it's the switch that lets any AI platform harness emotion ethically and profitably,' said Brian Gregory. Uniquely, ADMANITY's proprietary algorithm, The ADMANITY® Protocol - nicknamed 'Mother' by company insiders, has never seen digital daylight, meaning it isn't on the web in any form. 'We've stored 'Mother' in analog form, offline since inception and only two people have ever seen it - myself and our President and co-founder, Roy Regalado. When you have something this powerful, you don't load it onto a website,' said Brian Gregory. 'Big Tech spends billions chasing attention—our IP shows them how to win hearts, wallets, and regulatory goodwill in a single stroke,' declared Brian Gregory. ADMANITY® believes that the smarter AI becomes, the less likely it will be to win without gaining equal emotional maturity. 'Remember in grade school how nobody liked the smartest kid in the class?' asks Brian Gregory. Well, if AI doesn't get its EQ up to its IQ, you're going to see a much more difficult and expensive marketing chore for the whole AI industry,' added Brian Gregory. Trademarks, Scorching Heat Scores, Fireball increases in rankings, breakthrough 'virgin, blue ocean' IP, positive press and a possible singular answer to the emotionally-challenged AI market - all in one place. ADMANITY® has emerged from the fringe and stepped into the spotlight. 'We welcome spirited discussions with AI, CRM, Martech, E-commerce and LLM leaders to discuss who gets this tech - and how to quickly integrate it into their AI,' concluded Brian Gregory. For more information, please visit: Explore The YES! TEST® View ADMANITY's Crunchbase Profile Connect with Brian Gregory On Linkedin Recent ADMANITY Press Coverage Media Contact Company Name: ADMANITY® Contact Person: Brian Gregory, CEO Email: Send Email City: Phoenix State: AZ Country: United States Website:

Associated Press
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Love, Robots, and the Future: 12th International Love and Sex with Robots Conference Heads to China
Los Angeles, CA July 03, 2025 --( )-- The 12th International Love and Sex with Robots Conference is set to take place from June 24–26, 2026, marking a significant milestone in the event's evolution since its inaugural gathering in London. Hosted in Shaoxing, China, this highly anticipated edition will bring together leading researchers, scientists, and industry innovators to explore the future of intimacy, companionship, and emotional connection through robotics and artificial intelligence. The conference will spotlight pioneering research and critical discourse on topics such as ethical considerations in human-robot relationships, emotional AI, robotic intimacy, virtual and augmented reality experiences, and the sociocultural impact of humanoid robotics. Featured speakers include Professor Ken Mogi, a renowned Japanese neuroscientist, author, and broadcaster known for his work on consciousness and the science of happiness, and Professor Zhigeng Pan, Dean of the School of Artificial Intelligence at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (NUIST), whose research in virtual reality and the metaverse has gained international recognition. Additional experts from institutions such as MIT, Stanford, and Tsinghua University will join these thought leaders, along with technology pioneers from companies including Tesla, Google, and Alibaba. The conference is also expected to host policymakers from China, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, emphasizing the global relevance and interdisciplinary collaboration necessary for the development of emotionally intelligent robotics. Media professionals are invited to attend the conference either virtually at no cost or in person in China with access to a special two-for-one ticket offer. This is a unique opportunity to engage directly with the world's foremost experts in AI, robotics, and human-technology interaction. Official conference website: For additional details or press inquiries, please contact: Emma Yann Zhang, General Chair Email: [email protected] Phone: +86 187 0514 5004 Contact Information: Love and Sex with Robots Conference Emma Yann Zhang +8618705140421 Contact via Email Read the full story here: Love, Robots, and the Future: 12th International Love and Sex with Robots Conference Heads to China Press Release Distributed by


Globe and Mail
02-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
ADMANITY Hits Crunchbase Heat Score 92. Emotional AI Protocol and YES! TEST Surges in Global Visibility, Unlocks Product Optimization, AI Monetization, Emotional Algorithm, Branding, Martech, LLM, CRM
'This technology has the potential to unlock trillions in emotional purchase decisions, giving LLMs, CRM systems, martech platforms, and retail AI a new layer of emotional precision — and profit.' said ADMANITY® CEO Brian Gregory. ADMANITY®, the emotional AI firm behind the YES! TEST™ and ADMANITY® Protocol, has rocketed to a Crunchbase Heat Score of 92, estimated to be statistically ahead of 99% of millions of companies on Crunchbase. ADMANITY's highly protected algorithmic IP identifies emotionally optimized and complete sales strategies for any brand. With rising inbound interest from M&A, AI, CRM, and LLM sectors, ADMANITY® is commanding attention for its potential to ethically monetize emotion across AI industries. Phoenix, AZ - July 2, 2025 - ADMANITY®, the emotional AI firm behind the proprietary YES! TEST™ and ADMANITY® Protocol algorithm, has reached a Crunchbase Heat Score of 92, — a level shared by fewer than 1% of all companies listed on the platform — indicating a sharp spike in global attention and deal visibility. This elite status, shared by a very small percentage of firms worldwide, reflects surging interest in ADMANITY®, most likely due to its offline-protected emotional algorithm — a system capable of identifying the emotional archetype of any business in minutes and prescribing optimized sales, marketing, and brand strategies with precision. 'This new technology has the potential to unlock trillions in emotional purchase decisions, giving LLMs, CRM systems, martech platforms, and retail AIs a new layer of emotional precision — and profit,' emphasized Brian Gregory. "Think of current AI as the most powerful Conscious intelligence ever created with rational skills unmatched. But what's missing in the world's most powerful brain is the other even more powerful half - the Subconscious "feeling" element. Current AI is emotionally blind so it has to reach all its decisions logically and rationally, but humans reach decisions irrationally, meaning we all do it emotionally. AI needs to understand those emotional formulas to communicate better," said Brian Gregory. "Brian Gregory added,"Those emotional persuasion formulas are built directly into the ADMANITY® Mother Algorithm, offering functionality virtually no other AI on the market can offer: a complete emotional monetization engine for not only itself, but any business customer, regardless of industry or size." ADMANITY® and its proprietary YES! TEST both remain privately held, having never received VC capital. ADMANITY® has quietly operated as a SaaS platform to gather multi-year behavioral data while safeguarding its core algorithm from commoditization. All algorithms and source data are protected in analog form and unavailable digitally online in any form. " We created The ADMANITY® Protocol - the emotional blueprint behind brand persuasion — and the first thing we did was lock it offline, where it can't be replicated, commoditized, or misused,' stated Brian Gregory. Altruistically, ADMANITY® offers The YES! TEST™ for free to help small businesses of all types, proving ADMANITY® has an ethical nature. " With ethical AI now at the center of global policy debates, the ADMANITY® system offers something extremely rare: emotional influence that respects human psychology rather than exploiting it,' added Brian Gregory 'Think of all the money wasted on advertising that flops, leads that don't turn into sales, and posts that are buried each day in the digital sand dune of social media. Instead, imagine if you knew what to sell, how to formulate the message, and which emotions will make customers respond before you make a single creative decision. Now that would be helping the small business world,' said Brian Gregory, CEO of ADMANITY®. While ADMANITY® has not publicly announced any exclusive partnerships, sources confirm that multiple strategic M&A firms and large players in the AI, marketing, and enterprise software space are now in contact with the company. 'We're not pitching this tech to the world — the world is finding us. What happens next will depend on who understands most about what emotional monetization really means,' said Brian Gregory. About ADMANITY® ADMANITY® not only created the advanced algorithms discussed here, but also the YES! TEST™ 5-minute free business branding analysis, YES! QUEST™ - lead generation system, YES! PRESS™ - press syndication getting press releases on page one of search, YES! MEDIA™ - a massive base of over a quarter billion stock photos and images, The YES! BOT™ - the most humorous, next-generation chatbot on the web. ADMANITY offers access and information about these products and more through its SaaS programs inside a password-protected personal portal, accessible to all who take the free YES! TEST™ For media inquiries, access to the YES! TEST™, or to request an M&A or partnership briefing, please contact: Crunchbase Profile ADMANITY YES! TEST Site Linkedin Profile, Brian Gregory Alignable Profile, Brian Gregory Media Contact Company Name: ADMANITY® Contact Person: Brian Gregory, CEO - Founder Email: Send Email Phone: 928-258-4480 City: Phoenix State: Arizona Country: United States Website:
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Reflexion Launches AI Platform to Democratize Mental Health Support for Underserved Communities
Figure 1. Reflexion visual overview showing the mobile interface, branding, and user journey. The system supports structured emotional reflection through real-time analysis and metaphor generation. HOUSTON, May 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reflexion, an AI-powered platform designed to deliver accessible, self-guided emotional reflection, today announced its public release aimed at transforming early-stage mental health care. Developed by software engineer and emotional AI researcher Shou-Tzu Han, Reflexion leverages natural language processing (NLP), psychological prompting, and metaphorical storytelling to help users explore emotions, reframe distress, and build emotional resilience. Unlike traditional wellness apps that rely on mood tracking or meditation, Reflexion guides users through layered, language-based introspection using real-time emotional analysis. The system offers a private and low-cost alternative to therapy—particularly vital for individuals facing cultural, financial, or geographic barriers to mental health care. Reflexion has completed its MVP (Minimum Viable Product) phase and an initial 28-person user study. Preliminary results indicate notable improvements in emotional clarity, cognitive reframing of stressors, and self-reported resilience among participants. 'I didn't build Reflexion as an app—I built it as a response to silence,' said Han.'When no one else tells you the truth, you build something that does.'Figure 2. Reflexion project logo. The platform is currently seeking partnerships with nonprofits, academic institutions, and municipal organizations for pilot deployments in immigrant communities, trauma recovery programs, and educational settings. Reflexion is developed under the Women's Advancement Network, a Texas-based nonprofit organization focused on emotional health innovation. Future plans include multilingual expansion, integration with digital public health frameworks, and open-source publication on AI ethics and affective computing safety. For pilot proposals, partnership opportunities, or interviews, please contact: Contact Details:Shou-Tzu Han contact@ Disclaimer: This press release is provided by the 'Women's Advancement Network'. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an "as-is" basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data