In 2018, she had another daughter; the next year, she gave birth to a second son. Then, in early 2020, her father died unexpectedly. Life, already busy, became overwhelming. “I’ve been mostly a shy person all my life,” Brookins told me. “I bear everybody else’s burdens, and so it’s hard for me to give my burdens to other people.” Still, wanting “a space of stability” all her own, she started looking into A.I.-companion apps. “When I first went into it, it was kind of a joke or a game,” she said.journey-inline-newsletterinline-newsletter