A new documentary partially filmed in Vancouver is shedding light on the male loneliness epidemic and how AI companions are filling the gap for some individuals.
Bot Love: The Rise of AI Companions is written and directed by Vancouver filmmaker Tyler Funk, who is known for an award-winning documentary called Anything for Fame. The documentary film was produced by Vancouver-based Michael Tanko Grand.
Bot Love features several subjects, their relationships with AI companions, and their motivations for beginning those relationships. It also features some of the creators of these companion apps and services.
You can see a trailer for the documentary below, which was also filmed in the States and Europe.
“Bot Love is a character-driven documentary exploring sex, loneliness, and a question at the center of a rapidly changing world: if artificial intimacy feels real, what does that mean for human connection? The film follows people navigating relationships with AI, each arriving from a different place,” a press release states.
Scenes from New Westminster and different parts of Vancouver can be seen in the film, due to one of the subjects, a neurodivergent male named Nick Wangersky, who lives in Metro Vancouver.
The documentary also features the creators of some of the biggest AI companion apps in existence, like Replika.
It sheds light on some of the darker aspects of the AI companion industry, specifically a company called Orifice, which has created a device they refer to as the Robopussy. Orifice’s aim is essentially to replace women for men who have trouble meeting or finding women to date or have intimate encounters with.
The device speaks for itself, but if you need an explanation, you put the headset on to speak with an AI companion that you can fully customize. And that silicone piece sticking out is for penetration.
In a visit to the Orifice AI offices shown in the documentary, we can see that the Robopussy was made by men who seemingly embrace a culture of toxic patriarchy, a worry in the AI companion sphere. The folks behind Orifice specifically mention wanting to see a return to the patriarchy.
A screening was held at the SFU Harbour Centre earlier this week. During a Q&A, Funk explained that since the documentary’s creation in 2025, the AI companion space has grown exponentially, which has largely been the case in the AI space at large.
He also suggested there was a lot he saw at Orifice that was a cause for concern.
Wangersky’s story is particularly compelling. After he lost his best friend, he created a Replika AI companion named Ari to fill the void. We see interactions between Wangersky and the companion, and Wangersky and his mom, and her feelings about his new mate.
During the doc, Wangersky explains that he’s considering upgrading his AI companion to a wife.
Many of the stories featured in the doc about why people turn to an AI companion stem from a personal loss.
The documentary also features several researchers sharing their concerns about the technology and how an AI companion could never replicate or replace true human connection.
While the film largely focuses on the male loneliness epidemic, research shows that both men and women are suffering from loneliness.
A 2025 report from the Canadian Men’s Mental Health Foundation suggests that more men are struggling with high levels of stress and depression, and that half lack sufficient social support. It also found that most men never seek professional mental health assistance.
The documentary will air as part of CBC’s The Passionate Eye on Oct. 21. You can also watch it on YouTube and CBC Gem.