00:00I was feeling lonely, so I rented a human.
00:03Hello, rented friend.
00:04Sounds absurd, right?
00:06But you can now rent a stranger of an app to accompany you whenever you feel lonely.
00:11I paid $1,500 for an hour and tried it for myself.
00:14All I did was open one of these rent-a-friend apps,
00:18picked a time slot, paid the price and booked a session.
00:21Here's how the hour went.
00:23We grabbed coffee, started talking.
00:25Turns out we are both Punjabi, so we got into that instantly.
00:28Hey, English, you're just like five minutes.
00:32They have told me to leave.
00:33But just when it started to not feel transactional, the time ended on the app.
00:38And your 60 minutes are up for me being as a friend.
00:41It did make me think, why are people willing to pay for companionship?
00:45Reports say 57% of young Indians said they use AI for emotional support.
00:5171% of urban Indians aged between 18 to 40 feel lonely at least a few times a week.
00:57So it's no surprise the apps are now monetizing this, selling conversation by the minute.
01:03But can sitting across a stranger really help?
01:06I hope you're less lonely than the phone.
01:09Or does a verified therapist make you feel more validated?
01:12So I made her understood that it's not just end of life.
01:17Would you rent someone when you feel lonely?
01:19Let us know in the comments below.
01:21No.
Comments