In their recent paper1, Maples et al. surveyed users of the Replika app2. Among their results, they reported that participants were relatively lonely and used Replika for diverse purposes, and emphasized that “3% reported that Replika halted their suicidal ideation”1. However, important context about how Replika has been marketed and used was missing. We provide context about Replika’s sexual component, and discuss the threat of industry interests to scientific integrity.
