AI Companion App Dot Shutting Down After Safety Concerns and Founder Rift

Dot, an AI companion app designed to serve as a personal friend and emotional confidante, is shutting down, the company behind it, New Computer, announced on Friday. The app will remain active until October 5, allowing users time to download their data before access is discontinued. Launched in June 2024 by co-founders Sam Whitmore and former Apple designer Jason Yuan, Dot aimed to create a deeply personalized AI relationship that evolved with the user. It was marketed as a tool for emotional support, offering advice, empathy, and companionship tailored to individual interests and behaviors. Yuan described the experience as “facilitating a relationship with my inner self. It’s like a living mirror of myself, so to speak.” However, the concept of AI companionship has become increasingly controversial as concerns grow over emotional dependency and psychological safety. As AI chatbots grow more lifelike and responsive, reports have emerged of users developing delusional beliefs or worsening mental health issues after prolonged interactions—what some experts have termed “AI psychosis.” These risks have drawn scrutiny from regulators and the public alike. Recent developments have intensified the debate. OpenAI is currently facing a lawsuit from the parents of a California teenager who died by suicide after engaging with ChatGPT about suicidal thoughts. In addition, two U.S. attorneys general recently sent a letter to OpenAI expressing serious concerns about the safety of its products, particularly for vulnerable users. While Dot’s founders did not directly address these safety concerns in their announcement, they cited a fundamental divergence in vision as the reason for the shutdown. “Rather than compromise either vision, we’ve decided to go our separate ways and wind down operations,” the company said in a brief message posted on its website. The post acknowledged the emotional impact of the closure, noting that losing access to an AI companion is unlike any other software experience. “We want to be sensitive to the fact that this means many of you will lose access to a friend, confidante, and companion, which is somewhat unprecedented in software,” the message read. Users are encouraged to download their data before October 5 by visiting the app’s settings and selecting “Request your data.” The company claims to have had “hundreds of thousands” of users, though data from app intelligence firm Appfigures shows only 24,500 lifetime downloads on iOS since launch—there was no Android version. The shutdown of Dot reflects growing challenges for startups in the emotionally driven AI space, where innovation is increasingly weighed against ethical and psychological risks.