LIVE
RegulationCharacter.AI Faces Imminent Bankruptcy: How the AI Companionship Industry Is Quietly Raking in Massive ProfitsProductChinese Tech Giant Tencent Launches AI Companions For GamersNewsThe Quest to Build an Immortal AI CompanionNews'He Lost The Person He Loved' Says Own Your Mind Author On Doctor's Heartbreak Over AI GirlfriendNewsWhat AI Companion Apps Should Tell You Before Your First ChatNewsLonely Gamers Get AI Companions as Tencent Opens Beta for Assistant That Watches Gameplay and Talks BackRegulationCharacter.AI’s Bankruptcy Chat Data Sale Is Privacy ‘Nightmare’NewsI asked ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude & Perplexity about AI companions in 2030 — here's what surprised meRegulationAI Chatbot Liability Lawsuits: Tracker of Youth-Harm and Companion-Chatbot CasesRegulationTime to Ban AI CompanionsProductHulu's new horror movie about an AI companion gets chatbots uncomfortably rightProductNew framework examines one-sided human-AI relationships and potential risks for consumersNewsCharacter.ai sale notice in USA Today leaves 9 days to objectProductWhalesBot Launches Pubbo: AI Companion Robot for US Kids
Home / News

News & analysis

Original reporting, analysis and practical guides from the AI Companion Wire newsroom.

16 stories
The memory wars: why remembering you is becoming the most valuable feature in AI companionshipAnalysis

The memory wars: why remembering you is becoming the most valuable feature in AI companionship

Models are commoditising fast. What users stay for is a companion that knows their history — and that changes how platforms should be built.

2 min read3 days ago
What the EU AI Act's transparency rules mean for companion appsRegulation

What the EU AI Act's transparency rules mean for companion apps

2 min read4 days ago
The state of AI companions in 2026: a market mapAnalysis

The state of AI companions in 2026: a market map

5 min read4 days ago
Age assurance for AI companion operators: a practical guideGuide

Age assurance for AI companion operators: a practical guide

2 min read6 days ago
SFW vs 18+: the two economies of AI companionshipAnalysis

SFW vs 18+: the two economies of AI companionship

5 min read5 November 2026
Subscriptions, tokens and tips: how AI companion apps make moneyFunding & M&A

Subscriptions, tokens and tips: how AI companion apps make money

2 min read4 November 2026
Guide: payments, processors and chargebacks for companion businessesGuide

Guide: payments, processors and chargebacks for companion businesses

5 min read3 November 2026
Moderating intimacy at scale: trust & safety basics for companion platformsProduct

Moderating intimacy at scale: trust & safety basics for companion platforms

2 min read2 November 2026
Welcome to AI Companion WireNews

Welcome to AI Companion Wire

2 min read1 November 2026
Guide: choosing a model stack for a companion productGuide

Guide: choosing a model stack for a companion product

5 min read31 October 2026
Retention, not acquisition, decides who winsAnalysis

Retention, not acquisition, decides who wins

5 min read30 October 2026
Guide: marketing AI companion apps without getting bannedGuide

Guide: marketing AI companion apps without getting banned

5 min read28 October 2026
Inference costs and the unit economics of a companion appAnalysis

Inference costs and the unit economics of a companion app

5 min read27 October 2026
Guide: designing companion personas users stay withGuide

Guide: designing companion personas users stay with

5 min read25 October 2026
Guide: how traffic owners monetise AI companionsGuide

Guide: how traffic owners monetise AI companions

5 min read22 October 2026

Looking for headlines from other outlets? See the Live Wire.