Antitrust, Meta, and Addictive Design: Will AI Companions Be Next?

Meta is on the hook for addictive design. We unpack the case with an antitrust lawyer and ask whether AI companions could be next.
Giulia Trojano is an antitrust lawyer who brings class actions and collective actions against big tech. She holds a masters in AI Ethics from Cambridge and was recognized in 2025 in the 100 brilliant women in AI ethics.

00:21 Highlight reel
01:32 Introduction & welcome
02:43 The case against Meta in New Mexico and California: why this is a huge moment
05:22 Does this set precedent for AI companions like Replika and ChatGPT 4-o?
06:19 What laws or protections exist for users of social media and AI companions?
10:37 New, emerging, and open cases against big tech and AI chatbots: what’s going on?

Lawsuits and AI companions
13:41 How does current law define AI companions? Why product vs. service vs. system matters A LOT (New York, California, EU AI Act, Online Safety Act)
17:29 Addictive design in AI companions: anthropomorphism, consciousness, “forever” AI soulmates…what gives?
21:43 “Rights Against Erasure:” should AI companion users have the right to retain their chatbots (despite model updates) if the app provides a lifetime subscription? A look at Luka’s Replika and OpenAI’s ChatGPT 4-o
26:55 Should OpenAI be required to bring back ChatGPT 4-o? What’s promised vs. data portability and co-creation rights
31:08 Humans aren’t immortal, so why should companies be beholden to providing “forever” AI companions?
33:50 Illusions of companion AI immortality and consciousness: are companies liable for AI’s dark patterns by design?

AI in the courtroom
35:46 What’s it like to be an antitrust lawyer litigating against big tech in the age of AI? Giant piles of lobbying money vs. the law
40:36 How using a technical litigation approach may be more fruitful than a moral one for social media and AI chatbots
42:23 AI regulation stifling innovation: unpacking the false dichotomy (put down the big tech Cool Aid!)
47:08 How does AI impact the practice of law? Deepfakes in the courtroom, AI-generated misinformation, and AI lawyers
52:12 One AI companion law to rule them all: what do we do?

Giulia’s paper Rights Against Erasure (academic.oup.com/edited-volume/59762/chapter-a…)
-

This is Our Lives With Bots, the show where we ask important, timely questions about what it means to live with our bot counterparts. From time to time, we also dive deep into what an AI future might look like for us. Sometimes we agree, sometimes we spiral, but we always go deep.
Rose and Angy are psychologists with degrees in psychology, artificial intelligence, and ethics. They have conducted research in human-AI interaction and created this podcast to make information about AI accessible to you. You can learn more about us at ⁠ourliveswithbots.com⁠.