Artificial Intimacy

“All around us, people are beguiled by the siren song of artificial intimacy. Sherry Turkle's 40 years of groundbreaking research and beautiful writing make her the most qualified member of Team Humanity to call us back to our senses, and to each other.”—Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation

"A gifted writer . . . [Turkle] organizes her book to follow a range of people at every stage of development, from youth through adulthood—people who have, alarmingly, moved beyond engaging AI chatbots for simple conversation or pure utility and come to rely on the technology for emotional succor . . . A strong case for why we should resist the urge to replace human bonds with AI."—Kirkus Reviews (starred)

“A necessary exploration of what happens when we seek the comforts of connection over the demands of relationships.”—Esther Perel, author and host of Where Should We Begin

"A pointed critique of the growing impact of artificial intelligence on human relationships . . . [Turkle] urg[es] readers to question whether these tools enhance or inhibit personal growth. Harrowing and poignant, this timely warning deserves to be widely read."—Publishers Weekly (starred)

“Artificial Intimacy could not come at a better time as society grapples with how to navigate the AI revolution. It helps us make sense of what this new and rapidly evolving technology is doing to our humanity and what we must stand up and protect. Sherry Turkle’s wise words of caution and counsel should be read by those developing AI and all who use it.”  —Vivek Murthy, MD, author of Together

“[Artificial Intimacy] argues strongly that our new ‘posthuman conversational partners’ are inadequate companions for life’s journey…Turkle grounds her analysis in academic literature, while illuminating it with often haunting vignettes.”—Financial Times

“Offers something new to current conversations about AI: a heartfelt warning about forming attachments to chatbots…Built on Turkle’s decades of research on technology and human development, Artificial Intimacy unpacks human-AI relationships with care and honesty—two things, she argues, that chatbots will never truly provide.”—Christian Science Monitor

“The best thing I’ve ever read about one of the biggest questions of our time: how will we relate to machines as they become more like us? Sherry Turkle’s book is insightful, emotional, rigorous, and deeply human. Read it cover to cover and absorb its wisdom; don’t, whatever you do, just ask a bot to summarize it.”—Nicholas Thompson, author of The Running Ground

“Sherry Turkle, our wisest guide to digital life, has written her most urgent book yet. Artificial Intimacy will help you avoid the profound but often hidden threats AI poses to you and your relationships. Read it and share it with all the humans you know.”—Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows

“The preeminent sociologist of smart machines, Sherry Turkle, now writes against the techno-utopianism of our time and the promise of frictionless intimacy, chronicling the distinction between virtual and actual human community and connection.”—Michael Sandel, author of The Tyranny of Merit

“Sherry Turkle is the exact right person at the exact right time to write us this exact book. Artificial Intimacy is a love letter to humanity written by a woman of brilliance and heart.”—Priya Parker, author of The Art of Fighting

“Our relational nature as human beings is being colonized by machines that cleverly exploit our longing for human connection, simulate intimacy, and ultimately entrain us into a world of pretend — artificial intimacy. May this book reinforce our commitment to trust and inhabit our analog nature as human beings, and resist wholesale digital capture.”—Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Wherever You Go, There You Are