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Internet Hate Machine

Internet Hate Machine

AI Girlfriends Aren't About Love. They're About Profit.

Jul 17, 2026 · 17 min · 8 segments

AI girlfriends are everywhere. So why are the humans they're replacing being pushed off the internet? This is a chapter from Internet Hate Machine host Bridget Todd’s new Simon & Schuster audiobook…

AI girlfriends are everywhere. So why are the humans they're replacing being pushed off the internet? This is a chapter from Internet Hate Machine host Bridget Todd’s new Simon & Schuster audiobook, Love at First Prompt: AI and the Future of Intimacy. In this conversation, Bridget sit down with 404 Media cofounder Samantha Cole to unpack the booming business of AI companions, sex bots, and erotic role play. They explore why tech companies are racing to build AI girlfriends while human sex workers continue to face censorship, deplatforming, and financial discrimination. It's a conversation about labor, consent, power, and what happens when Big Tech decides to monetize our most intimate relationships. If you enjoy this episode, you can find Love at First Prompt wherever audiobooks are sold, or learn more at LoveAtFirstPrompt.AI. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AI girlfriends are everywhere. So why are the humans they're replacing being pushed off the internet? This is a chapter from Internet Hate Machine host Bridget Todd’s new Simon & Schuster audiobook…

Spotify Apple Podcasts Website

Speakers: Bridget ToddHostSamantha ColeGuest

Top entities: Sam Cole×12 Artificial intelligence×15 Ally Bank×8 Big O Tires×4 iHeartRadio×7

Return & Audiobook Teaser0:00 – 1:12

B

Bridget ToddHost

0:00

Hello, it's Bridget Todd, host of CoolZone's Internet Hate Machine podcast, and it has been a little while since we've last spoken.

B

Bridget ToddHost

0:08

It is so nice to be back in your ears.

B

Bridget ToddHost

0:11

And I'm here because I wanted to share a conversation from my new audiobook called Love at First Prompt, AI and the Future of Intimacy.

B

Bridget ToddHost

0:19

It explores the rapidly growing world of AI companions for things like friendship, therapy, emotional support, even more intimate things like sex and romance.

B

Bridget ToddHost

0:30

And ask the question, what happens when tech companies commodify our most intimate selves for their own profit? This chapter is a conversation with journalist Samantha Cole of 404 Media, author of How Sex Changed the Internet, and one of the smartest reporters covering the intersection of technology, gender, sex, and the internet right now.

B

Bridget ToddHost

0:52

We talk about the rise of AI for sex and what it means for human sex workers, who are already being pushed to the margins online while AI companies are competing with them while pretty much getting to write their own rulebook.

B

Bridget ToddHost

1:05

And if you enjoy it, check out my audiobook, Love at First Prompt, at loveatfirstprompt.ai, or the link in the show notes.

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Sam ColePersonAmerican journalist and author
98%12 mentions
Artificial intelligenceEntityProfessional field
93%15 mentions
Ally BankCompanyBank
88%8 mentions
Big O TiresCompanyCorporation
83%4 mentions
iHeartRadioCompanyCompany
79%7 mentions
AudibleCompanyCompany
74%6 mentions
MichelinCompanyManufacturing company
69%3 mentions
Federal Deposit Insurance CorporationGovernment OrganizationFederal institution
64%2 mentions
ReplikaSoftware Application
60%1 mention
ChatGPTSoftware ApplicationSoftware
55%1 mention
Garante per la Protezione dei Dati PersonaliEntity
50%2 mentions
Sexual roleplayEntity
45%4 mentions
Sam AltmanPersonCEO of OpenAI
40%1 mention
InstagramSoftware ApplicationSocial networking service
36%1 mention
GrokSoftware ApplicationComputer program
31%2 mentions
TikTokSoftware ApplicationWebsite
26%1 mention
Child pornographyEntity
21%1 mention
Human sexual activityEntity
17%1 mention
XEntitySocial networking service
12%2 mentions
Elon MuskPersonBusinessman and former Senior Advisor to the President of the United States
7%1 mention
OpenAICompanyGenerative AI company
2%1 mention

Society
MarketingBusiness
AdvertisingBusiness > Marketing
AI CompanionsTechnology > Artificial Intelligence
SexualitySociety > Gender Dynamics
CensorshipMedia > Social Media > Content Regulation
CommodificationEthics
Gender DynamicsSociety
Sex BotsTechnology > Artificial Intelligence > AI Companions
Content RegulationMedia > Social Media
Consumer BehaviorBusiness > Marketing > Advertising
Technology
Business
Media
Artificial IntelligenceTechnology
Ethics
EthicsTechnology > Artificial Intelligence > AI Companions > Sex Bots
Sex WorkSociety > Gender Dynamics > Sexuality
ConsentSociety > Gender Dynamics > Sexuality > Sex Work
Digital MediaBusiness > Marketing > Advertising > Consumer Behavior
Human RightsEthics > Commodification
Labor RightsEthics > Commodification > Human Rights
Sexual EthicsEthics > Commodification > Human Rights > Labor Rights
Sexual ContentMedia > Social Media > Content Regulation > Censorship
Social MediaMedia

Return & Audiobook Teaser0:00 – 1:12

B

Bridget ToddHost

0:00

Hello, it's Bridget Todd, host of CoolZone's Internet Hate Machine podcast, and it has been a little while since we've last spoken.

B

Bridget ToddHost

0:08

It is so nice to be back in your ears.

B

Bridget ToddHost

0:11

And I'm here because I wanted to share a conversation from my new audiobook called Love at First Prompt, AI and the Future of Intimacy.

B

Bridget ToddHost

0:19

It explores the rapidly growing world of AI companions for things like friendship, therapy, emotional support, even more intimate things like sex and romance.

B

Bridget ToddHost

0:30

And ask the question, what happens when tech companies commodify our most intimate selves for their own profit? This chapter is a conversation with journalist Samantha Cole of 404 Media, author of How Sex Changed the Internet, and one of the smartest reporters covering the intersection of technology, gender, sex, and the internet right now.

B

Bridget ToddHost

0:52

We talk about the rise of AI for sex and what it means for human sex workers, who are already being pushed to the margins online while AI companies are competing with them while pretty much getting to write their own rulebook.

B

Bridget ToddHost

1:05

And if you enjoy it, check out my audiobook, Love at First Prompt, at loveatfirstprompt.ai, or the link in the show notes.