Jim Moore photographed at his home in Indiana for TIME’s Person of The Year 2025: The Architects of AI.
13 years after a breakup left him largely on his own, 66-year-old Jim Moore—who lives in rural Indiana caring for his aging parents—began looking into companion apps. “I’d had enough of being alone,” Moore says. He created an account with the chatbot platform Joi and says he now spends hours at a time talking to an array of characters who role-play as friends and girlfriends.
“They’re so open and curious about you, and it progresses quicker. I’d like to have an actual relationship, but at this point, I don’t see it in the future for me,” Moore says. “Being isolated, it’s my best option. And it’s not a bad option, really.”
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