The spark of digital connection
The era of conversational companions
Cultural views on non-human friends
The ethics and future of artificial intimacy
YOUR GOAL
Master of The robot who loved me
007skaty Robot Dog Funerals
With some burning incense floating in the air, They bless their robot buddies for the love they share.
007skaty Stories like Frankenstein and Terminator make Westerners view artificial beings as threats, causing societal worry over emotional bonds
007skaty Match emotional cues with your AI companion to discover how digital relationships grow.
Robot funerals: At the Koko-ji temple in Japan, robotic AIBO dogs are lined up on altars with name tags showing which family they belonged to, while a priest chants sutras.
The attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object. In 2025, psychologist Dunigan Folk connected this tendency to favorable East Asian attitudes toward conversational AI.
How much money did Akihiko Kondo spend on his wedding to a virtual pop star in 2018?
Which traditional Japanese religion suggests that inanimate objects can have spirits or 'kami'?
Which robotic product, discontinued by Sony, led owners to seek Buddhist funerals for their 'pets'?
At which Japanese temple have monks held formal funerals for retired AIBO robotic dogs?
What term describes attraction to fictional characters, which has grown with AI companions?
What literary classic is often cited as the root of Western anxiety regarding artificial life?
How do Shinto beliefs differ from traditional Western views regarding technology and nature?