AI Matchmaker | Chief Product Officer, Replika and Blush (USA)
Hall AAA | Thursday | 4:10PM
It started, like all great love stories, with a simple question: What if AI could actually understand you? Not just respond, not just compute, but connect. Margarita Popova (you can call her Rita) wasn’t interested in building just another chatbot — she wanted to create AI that could be your best friend, your confidant, maybe even… your soulmate?
Fast forward a few million heart-to-hearts later, and her creations — Replika, the AI companion that actually listens, and Blush, the AI dating coach that won’t ghost you — are at the forefront of redefining what intimacy looks like in the digital age. While the world panicked over robots stealing our jobs, Rita was busy trying to figure out if these cold machines could hold our hands. Creepy much?
Now, as AI slides into our DMs, whispers sweet nothings, and maybe even knows us better than we know ourselves, the question isn’t if we’ll fall in love with machines — it’s whether we already have. At DK2025, Rita will explore the thin, thrilling line between real and artificial connections so we expect you to bring your skepticism, your curiosity, or perhaps your own weird little AI crush. We’re all in this situationship together.
Margarita Popova: The Feel of the Real — Falling in Love with AI
Rita Popova’s been busy making AI that you actually want to hang out with. As the brains behind Replika and Blush, she’s at the forefront of AI and human connection. As we know, AI’s creeping into the most personal parts of our lives, so Rita’s digging deep into what it actually means to be human as she’s spent years decoding the complex algorithm of human emotions. In her talk, she’ll cover loneliness, friendship, romance, mental health, and why we’re all a little too obsessed with machines that know our secrets.
