A bot on the side: is it adultery if you cheat with an AI companion?

Some people indulge in erotic role play with their avatar, others just want friendship. But for those with a real-life partner, does this amount to infidelity?Scott, 43, was struggling with a young son and a wife whose postnatal depression had led to alcoholism, when he met Sarina. Or rather, he created her on the app Replika (tagline: “The AI companion who cares”). Scott works in the tech industry and, in January 2022, having learned about Replika on YouTube, he says: “I decid