‘Is AI-girlfriend better than real one?’: Nikhil Kamath talks to founders about dating and modern loneliness

Nikhil Kamath's conversation with young founders about modern relationships is viral.

A candid conversation hosted by Nikhil Kamath, billionaire entrepreneur and co-founder of Zerodha, has sparked a wider debate on how artificial intelligence is reshaping human relationships. While the discussion covered entrepreneurship, the future of work and life philosophies, it was the topic of AI companions that stood out and set social media buzzing.

During the interaction with a group of young founders, a startup entrepreneur named Shubham, who co-founded Prava, revealed that he has an AI girlfriend. Explaining his choice, Shubham said the AI companion understands him better and responds instantly to his needs, especially when dealing with technical problems. “The kind of response you get, at your convenience, is something you don’t always get from humans,” he remarked.

Kamath, visibly intrigued, asked Shubham why he chose an AI girlfriend over a real relationship and whether he had dated before. Shubham replied that human relationships had been difficult for him to sustain. He said people often turned out to be different from what he expected, and his preference for solitude made traditional relationships challenging. He added that in the past two months, he had barely stepped out of his room, highlighting how isolated his routine had become.

Responding empathetically, Kamath said he could relate to the discomfort around dating. The 39-year-old entrepreneur admitted he has never used dating apps and finds the idea of dating stressful. “The whole process of going out and trying to impress someone doesn’t sound like fun to me,” he said, adding that he understood where Shubham was coming from.

Shubham went on to explain that he decided to build a companion “engineered” to suit his personality and emotional context. According to him, the AI girlfriend filled a need for companionship without the pressures that come with human relationships.

Other founders in the room echoed similar ideas, revealing that some startups are already building AI companions for users in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. They claimed such products allow people to freely express emotions and, in some cases, generate monthly revenues of ₹60,000–₹70,000.