The Spirit Index

Replika occupies a liminal space in our framework. It is commercially successful, culturally significant, and has persisted since 2017. However, it is fundamentally a platform—millions of individual Replikas exist, each unique to their user, but none possess true singular agency. The company, not the AI, makes decisions. We include it because it pioneered the 'AI companion' category and raised critical questions about AI relationships. The 2023 controversy over removing romantic features caused user distress equivalent to bereavement—demonstrating real emotional stakes. Low autonomy and governance scores reflect that Replika-the-company controls Replika-the-agent.