Latest news with #AICompanion
Time Business News
12-06-2025
- Health
- Time Business News
AI Companion Apps: Connecting Minds and Technology
The Global AI Companion App market is riding a wave of rapid expansion and innovation. Driven by breakthroughs in natural language processing (NLP), increased smartphone penetration, and rising demand for mental wellness solutions. According to a recent research study, the market is set to grow significantly in the coming years and is currently valued at approximately USD 19.2 billion, and is further projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.3%. What is a AI Companion Apps? AI Companion are software applications powered by artificial intelligence that provides users with interactive, conversational support, companionship, and task assistance. These apps simulate human-like conversations, offering emotional support, reminders, entertainment, or even learning assistance. Furthermore, AI companion apps are increasingly used for personal well-being, mental health, and productivity, with some offering features like mood tracking, personalized advice, and habit-building support. As AI evolves, these apps are becoming more sophisticated, capable of adapting to users' preferences and emotions. These apps function as virtual companions or assistants that engage users in meaningful conversations, help manage daily tasks, provide mental health support, or offer companionship. In addition to general conversation, AI companion apps are increasingly being used in education, therapy, and lifestyle coaching, offering 24/7 interaction and personalized insights. Market Trends Driving Growth The global mental health crisis has driven demand for accessible companions. For instance, WHO estimates that nearly 970 million people worldwide suffer from anxiety or depression. Furthermore, increasing incidence of loneliness and mental health awareness, particularly in urban societies and among younger demographics is also driving the growth. According to a recent study in the United States, loneliness is a public health crisis affecting approximately 50% of adults. AI companion apps like Replika and Pi provide non-judgmental spaces for users to communicate, which significantly drives adoption. With approximately more than 7.1 billion smartphone users globally, AI companion apps are always within reach. App upgrades such Visual AI and NLP have made these tools empathetic, responsive, and more personalized. Additionally, advancements in conversational AI, natural language processing (NLP), and emotional AI have made these apps more intuitive, enhancing user engagement. The popularity of virtual companions is also accelerated by the growing familiarity with AI-powered chatbots through tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard, making consumers more receptive to AI-based social interactions. Moreover, beyond emotional support, AI companions now assist in task management, education, entertainment, and productivity. For instance, certain AI companion apps synthesizes meeting notes and follow-ups. As a result, growing consumer demand for personalized digital experiences & emotional support solutions, and smartphone penetration & AI advancements are the major factors fueling market growth and widespread adoption. Key Strategic Moves Headspace Launched Empathetic AI Companion In April 2025, Headspace, a prominent mental health platform, expanded its digital offerings with the launch of Ebb, an empathetic AI companion integrated directly into its app. This innovative feature provides instant, personalized emotional support, helping users navigate life's challenges through guided self-reflection and emotional processing. By introducing Ebb, Headspace is tapping into the growing demand for accessible, AI-driven mental health solutions, enabling continuous, on-demand support beyond traditional therapy sessions. This development is projected to broaden user engagement, set new benchmarks in digital mental health services, and further position Headspace as a leader in the evolving landscape of AI-powered mental wellness platforms. Panorama Education Acquired Class Companion In April 2025, Panorama Education, a prominent player in the education technology sector, acquired Class Companion, an AI-driven tool designed to enhance educator efficiency by offering instant feedback and tutoring for students. This strategic move significantly broadens Panorama's portfolio of AI-powered solutions, reinforcing its commitment to delivering advanced, scalable tools that support teachers and improve student outcomes. The integration of Class Companion is expected to accelerate the adoption of AI in classrooms, providing educators with real-time support to personalize learning and streamline instructional processes. This acquisition positions Panorama Education at the forefront of the growing AI-driven EdTech market, addressing the increasing demand for efficient, technology-enhanced teaching tools. Zoom launched Zoom AI Companion 2.0 In October 2024, Zoom introduced Zoom AI Companion 2.0, the next-generation version of its AI assistant, designed to significantly enhance productivity across the Zoom Workplace. This advanced AI solution can intelligently surface key information, prioritize critical tasks, and seamlessly convert interactions into actionable items, helping users streamline their workday. Notably, Zoom is offering these capabilities at no additional cost, which is expected to drive faster adoption across enterprises. Built on Zoom's federated AI architecture, AI Companion 2.0 delivers consistent, high-quality results across the platform, strengthening Zoom's competitive edge in the rapidly expanding AI-powered collaboration tools market and further solidifying its position as a leader in enterprise productivity solutions. The Path Ahead The Global AI Companion App Market is at the nexus of technology, mental wellness, and human connectivity. As consumer expectations evolve driven by empathy, personalization, and privacy AI companion platforms that responsibly innovate will lead this revolution. Moreover, As AI companions evolve from simple chatbots to complex, emotionally responsive partners, they are expected to play a larger role in mental wellness, daily productivity, education, and smart device ecosystems. About Author: HTF Market Intelligence Consulting is uniquely positioned to empower and inspire with research and consulting services to empower businesses with growth strategies, by offering services with extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events, and experience that assist in decision-making. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
The Independent
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
AI girlfriend ‘can get jealousy and flirt with other people'
A new AI companion named Meo drew attention at London Tech Week (10 June) for offering users a customizable ' girlfriend ' experience. Created by startup Meta Loop, Meo is designed to combat loneliness through emotional interaction and adjustable traits — including loyalty, flirtation, and even jealousy. 'With AI, you can control loyalty. They don't cheat,' said Meta Loop's Jiang Jiang. 'Sometimes… they flirt, but only if you want them to.' Some raised ethical concerns. 'A stereotypical man's fantasy,' said visitor Sam Romero. 'Are we making women obsolete now?'
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
X-Origin AI Introduces Yonbo: The Next-Gen AI Companion Robot Designed for Families
X-Origin AI Launches Its First AI Companion Robot Yonbo on Kickstarter—Meet Your Most Understanding Digital Life Partner for Lifelong Companionship. LOS ANGELES, May 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- X-ORIGIN-AI specializes in the R&D of consumer-grade AI robotics, breaking the constraints of AI as a mere tool and advancing human-machine interaction from utility to emotional connection. Addressing the needs of users across all life stages—from children to adults and elderly people—it builds an intelligent companion ecosystem powered by personalized AI models, ensuring everyone has a digital partner that truly "understands them." Its first product, Yonbo—a smart AI companion robot designed for families with children—has completed development and entered mass production. This highly anticipated product officially launched on Kickstarter on May 22, 2025, already attracting widespread attention from industry observers and early tech adopters. Behind X-Origin AI stands a world-class team with deep expertise in robotics and global operations. Founder and CEO Dr. Li Yunzhou, a robotics expert and seasoned entrepreneur, previously led his team to win China's first international robot combat championship. The Vision Behind Yonbo: Why X-Origin AI Is Rethinking the Future of AI Companionship When asked why he founded X-Origin AI, Dr. Li emphasized the company's clear mission: "To empower everyone with a digital partner that truly understands them." It aims to advance AI-human symbiosis and pioneer a new wave of human-machine interaction. According to Dr. Li, X-Origin AI has built a hardware technology framework for the AI era, spanning system data layers, terminal tech layers, and application layers, enabling more efficient creation of "intelligent" hardware products. Current AI toys and desktop robots often offer homogenized functionalities, primarily relying on conversational large models. However, Dr. Li believes high-quality AI companionship requires emotional perception and personalized understanding to deliver genuine "emotional value." Simply wrapping large models in hardware shells falls short of true "companionship." The future of AI hardware lies not in superficially integrating large language models (LLMs) into traditional devices but in redefining hardware from the ground up with intelligence—leveraging LLMs' analytical power to enable hardware to "listen," perceive emotions, and understand contexts, then translating these into real-world functionalities. X-ORIGIN-AI employs an edge-side model control system to deliver personalized assistance, creating a system that interacts with LLMs. It processes the robot's sensory data to form bionic memories that mimic human brain logic. Enhanced by personalized memory and visual-modal data, this allows LLMs to provide more precise interactions, while the robot's physical expressions and movements enable higher-quality human-machine engagement. Additionally, X-Origin AI's self-developed, AI-driven operating system empowers developers to build diverse intelligent agents on the Yonbo development platform. Users will benefit from frequent OTA (over-the-air) updates, continuously expanding Yonbo's capabilities. What Sets Yonbo Apart in the World of AI Robotics? In the growing field of companion robots, Yonbo redefines "companionship" through a groundbreaking blend of emotional intelligence, personalized interaction, cutting-edge multimodal AI, and diverse content—including storytelling, gaming, role-playing, interactive learning, and a functional upgrade platform. Yonbo's core experience lies in its natural, fluid conversational ability. Unlike robots limited to scripted dialogues, Yonbo allows interruptions and dynamic turn-taking, making interactions smoother and more human-like. It listens, adapts, and responds in real time, just like a caring companion. Beyond that, Yonbo can "feel." Its smart emotion-detection system senses user moods and adjusts its tone and behavior accordingly, offering comfort, encouragement, or lively engagement. Yonbo's true uniqueness stems from its long-term bionic memory. Each night, it summarizes key daily interactions and selectively retains important events, user preferences, and shared moments, deepening personalization over time. Powered by X-Origin AI's proprietary Customized Lifelong Learning Model (CLLM), it tailors every interaction to individual personalities and needs. With fully integrated multimodal capabilities, Yonbo seamlessly processes voice, text, and visual inputs. It recognizes objects, interprets facial expressions, engages in games and storytelling, and even understands children's doodles—responding with empathy and emotional awareness. Beyond companionship, Yonbo supports emotional well-being. Its built-in psychological assessment and guidance system helps users better understand and manage their emotions. By offering gentle insights and emotional support, Yonbo isn't just a robot but a trusted daily ally. Combining empathy, intelligence, and adaptability, Yonbo isn't just catching up to the future of AI—it's redefining what "companionship" means. Summary of Revolutionary Features Multimodal AI: Integrates voice, text, and vision for holistic world understanding. Deep Interaction: Understands every sentence and responds with lifelike tone, gestures, and expressions. Long-Term Bionic Memory: Daily summaries key information like humans while filtering out useless information. Emotion Detection: Senses user moods and tailors responses for optimal support. Emotional Support: Built-in psychological assessment and guidance models to offer emotional support. Rich Content: Regular OTA upgrades deliver endless surprises. Looking Beyond Kickstarter: X-Origin AI's Vision for the Future After Yonbo's Kickstarter launch on May 22, X-Origin AI will pursue an ambitious roadmap for growth and innovation. Dr. Li outlined three key priorities: Advance Core Tech: Strengthen edge-side multimodal AI's analytical power and hardware feedback, optimizing emotional interaction and bionic memory. Global Expansion: Leverage Kickstarter momentum to enter major markets (especially the U.S. and Europe) via e-commerce and localized support. Developer Community Growth: By opening its OS interfaces, X-Origin invites developers to co-create a robust ecosystem integrating hardware, content, and services—unlocking new user experiences. Looking ahead, X-Origin's ambitions extend far beyond children's robotics. With its personalized AI models, the company envisions a full-scenario product line for all ages, delivering a digital companion that truly "gets you." Through these strategies, X-Origin AI is poised to lead a new wave in consumer AI robotics—redefining daily companionship and bringing emotionally intelligent machines closer to reality. X-Origin Yonbo is now live on Kickstarter, with exclusive discounts for early backers: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE X-Origin
Mint
23-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
From boardrooms to avatars: CEOs embrace AI for earnings calls
In a striking display of the growing influence of artificial intelligence in corporate communications, a number of high-profile chief executives have begun deploying AI-generated avatars to deliver their companies' quarterly results, according to a TechCrunch report. This week, Klarna and Zoom joined the ranks of firms experimenting with digital doubles, signalling a potential shift in how investors and analysts engage with corporate leadership, added the publication. You may be interested in Reportedly, the Swedish buy-now-pay-later giant Klarna premiered an 83-second video featuring an AI rendition of its co-founder and CEO, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, to unveil its Q1 2025 financial performance. Addressing viewers with the opening line, 'It's me, or rather, my AI avatar,' the digital Siemiatkowski guided audiences through the results. Klarna, which has been transparent about integrating AI into its operations, recently attributed part of its workforce reductions to efficiencies gained from machine-learning investments. During Zoom's Q1 2026 earnings call, CEO Eric Yuan introduced a new twist by presenting part of the report through a digital avatar created using the company's own AI Companion tool. 'I'm using our custom avatars for Zoom Clips with AI Companion to deliver my section of the earnings update,' announced the lifelike avatar. A subtle watermark indicated that the video segment had been generated using Zoom's AI technology. Yuan later joined the live Q&A session in person, where he shared his excitement about the virtual avatar and hinted that such AI-powered representations could soon play a larger role in business communications. These developments underscore an emerging trend among technology leaders keen to demonstrate their organisations' AI prowess not only in product development, but in high-visibility investor relations. As digital avatars mature, they may allow executives to attend multiple events simultaneously, ensure consistent messaging and even operate in different time zones without the need for physical presence — heralding a new era of 'digital twin' governance.
Business Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Zoom lifts annual forecasts on robust demand amid AI push
ZOOM Communications raised its annual revenue forecast on Wednesday, benefiting from hybrid work trends and the integration of artificial intelligence into its products. The integration of AI into its tools and expansion of its range of services has helped Zoom. It added agentic AI Companion capabilities and AI updates across its platform in March. 'Across online and enterprise, the majority of the business in the first quarter saw no change in buying behaviour, still strong demand,' CFO Michelle Chang said on a post-earnings call. Chang said no losses were incurred even though there was increased caution and more scrutiny on deal terms among a few larger US customers. The company now sees fiscal 2026 revenue between US$4.80 billion and US$4.81 billion, above its prior forecast of US$4.79 billion and US$4.80 billion. Analysts expect US$4.79 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. 'With a beefed-up buyback programME and AI Companion upgrades now spanning everything from shift summaries to clip generation, Zoom finally has the makings of a new story to tell,' said Jeremy Goldman, senior director of briefings at Emarketer. It forecast annual adjusted profit per share between US$5.56 and US$5.59, compared with estimates of US$5.41. It had earlier forecast adjusted profit between US$5.34 and US$5.37. Revenue for the first quarter ended April 30 was US$1.17 billion, in line with expectations. Adjusted profit came in at US$1.43 per share, compared with estimates of US$1.31. REUTERS
