Can A.I. Make People Feel Less Lonely?

About this episode

<p>For years, caretakers and health officials have been raising alarms about loneliness and social isolation among older Americans.</p> <p>Eli Saslow, a reporter at The New York Times, tells the story of one woman who is using artificial intelligence to keep her independence, and to keep her company. </p> <p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/eli-saslow" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Eli Saslow</strong></a>, a reporter for The New York Times who writes in-depth stories about the impact of major national issues on people’s lives.</p> <p>Background reading: </p> <ul> <li>At 85, Jan Worrell lived alone on a remote corner of the Washington coast. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/us/elliq-ai-robot-senior-companion.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Could a robot become her companion</a>?</li> </ul> <p>Photo: Ruth Fremson/The New York Times</p> <p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>nytimes.com/thedaily</strong></a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p> <p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>