We’re more connected and lonelier than ever before.

Not long ago, it seemed like social media’s impact headed our list of concerns. A lot has changed in a short space of time. AI companions are now being marketed as the solution to our isolation. They’re available 24/7, never distracted, and all about you. Millions are already using them: Replika, ChatGPT, Character.AI. But what does it mean when we start becoming intimate with machines?

Meanwhile, the humans in our lives are right there, all around us, yet somehow harder to reach. Technology gives us constant access to each other, but not always to each other's attention. We're physically present but mentally elsewhere, managing notifications while missing the person we’re with. The loneliness economy is booming, and it's sometimes selling us the least helpful forms of connection.

What’s actually happening to our attention? What’s becoming of our attachment patterns? Is our capacity for intimacy eroding? How can we both understand and take more control of what’s happening? Can we resist?

Elaine Kasket has spent two decades as a cyberpsychologist, researching how technology shapes our closest relationships. In her keynotes, she explores the rise of AI companions, the erosion of human presence, and what genuine connection requires in the modern world.

Drawing on psychology research and practice, attachment theory, and her work as an author and consultant, Elaine explores:

• The appeal of AI relationships: Why millions are allegedly turning to chatbots for comfort, and what that reveals about loneliness, attachment, our society, and our unmet needs

• The attention economy at home: How our devices can fragment presence, undermine privacy, and diminish trust within our closest relationships

• Attachment in the algorithmically driven environment: What happens to our capacity for intimacy and our willingness to do hard things when we can swipe, mute, or switch to something easier

• Repair and reconnection: How to navigate boundaries, repair relationship ruptures, and achieve fuller presence in device- and information-saturated environments, without retreating from technology altogether

• Tech in the therapy room: How technology is reshaping the mental-health industry, from AI therapists to ChatGPT emotional support to human therapists using emerging technologies in their work

Why this talk?

AI companions are going mainstream. What does that mean for human relationships and individual psychology? Elaine connects the loneliness epidemic, the monetisation of intimacy, and the choices we still have. Audiences leave with a clearer sense of what's pulling at their attention and affecting their relationships, and emboldened to do something about it.

Who is this for?

Parenting communities, schools, family wellbeing initiatives, therapists, educators, mental health organisations, and digital literacy programmes. Also relevant for tech companies and product teams building in the relationship and companion space. Available as a keynote, interactive workshop, parent-teen session, or facilitated discussion.