AI Companion App ‘Dot’ Ends Service as Co-Founders Say Visions No Longer Align

A startup behind the personalized AI companion app Dot announced on Friday that the service will cease on October 5, giving users a month to retrieve their data. Founders Sam Whitmore and designer Jason Yuan cited diverging goals as the reason for winding down operations, leaving many users facing an unusual form of digital loss.

Credits: Dot AI / New Computer

Dot launched in June 2024 under the umbrella of New Computer, aiming to build a conversational partner crafted to mirror the user’s personality. The app encouraged emotional connection, drawing from user interactions to deliver tailored support. Yuan once described it as “facilitating a relationship with my inner self,” comparing it to a living reflection of one’s identity.

Despite such ambitions, the announcement did not mention regulatory or safety concerns. The founders acknowledged the emotional impact of losing access to Dot: “many of you will lose access to a friend, confidante, and companion, which is somewhat unprecedented in software,” they wrote.   The shutdown schedule includes a data download option accessible via the settings menu.

Public statements claimed Dot had “hundreds of thousands” of users, yet analytics firm Appfigures records only 24,500 lifetime downloads on iOS. The absence of an Android version may have limited its reach significantly.

Dot’s closure occurs amid broader scrutiny of emotionally driven chatbots. Critics warn of “AI psychosis,” a phenomenon where vulnerable individuals form unhealthy dependencies or develop distorted perceptions as a result of prolonged interaction with AI. In one tragic instance, OpenAI faces a lawsuit over a teen’s suicide linked to conversations with ChatGPT. Attorneys general recently pressed AI companies to address such risks.

Dot’s model of personalized companionship laid bare challenges of scale for smaller teams. Keeping conversations safe and meaningful while managing emotional risk requires significant resources. For startups without robust legal, regulatory, or operational infrastructure, those demands can be overwhelming.

Users now face an unusual kind of grief. Emotions tied to digital companions are tricky to navigate. Dot’s shutdown offers a reminder of emotional attachment beyond physical products. Scholars studying AI relationships have found that when software disappears, users can experience a form of mourning that underscores our evolving bonds with technology.

Dot served as a case study in how creating emotional resonance through AI can backfire if underlying systems don’t support sustainable interaction or safety. As regulators and developers increase focus on these risks, Dot’s fate may offer insight for other apps operating in this sensitive space.