Sophie Kuperwasser-Gupta has had her dog Chip for six years. When the 10-year-old from Massachusetts calls Chip’s name, he responds with an excited bark. Sophie loves playing fetch with Chip and teaching him tricks. When she says “Do yoga,” the dog does a headstand. 

That’s not the only thing that makes Chip different from other dogs. He also has wheels instead of paws, doesn’t have fur, and never drools. That’s because Chip is a robot! Sophie is able to control him using voice commands and an app. 

“I never get tired of him,” she says. “He always finds ways to amuse me.”

Many robot pets use even more advanced technology than Chip. Some have artificial intelligence (AI). That’s the ability of a machine to think, learn, and act like a human—or a pet. 

One of the most popular AI pets is a dog named Aibo, made by Sony. The robot pooch learns new tricks and different behaviors as its owners interact with it. Sony says Aibo also shows emotions and develops a unique personality—just like a real dog would. 

Companies that make AI pets claim their robots can bond with people, bringing the same warmth and joy that real animals can. But many people argue that a robot pet could never take the place of the real thing.

Sophie Kuperwasser-Gupta has a dog named Chip. The 10-year-old from Massachusetts has had Chip for six years. When she calls Chip’s name, he responds with an excited bark. Sophie loves playing fetch with Chip. She also likes teaching him tricks. When she says “Do yoga,” the dog does a headstand.  

That’s not the only thing that makes Chip different from other dogs. He also has wheels instead of paws. He doesn’t have fur. Plus, he never drools. That’s because Chip is a robot! Sophie uses voice commands and an app to control Chip. 

“I never get tired of him,” she says. “He always finds ways to amuse me.”

Many robot pets use even more advanced technology than Chip. Some have artificial intelligence (AI). That’s the ability of a machine to think, learn, and act like a human—or a pet. 

One of the most popular AI pets is a dog named Aibo. It is made by Sony. The robot pooch learns different behaviors as its owners interact with it. It also learns new tricks. Sony says Aibo also shows emotions. The company says Aibo develops a unique personality—just like a real dog would.  

Companies that make AI pets claim their robots can bond with people. They say the robots can bring the same warmth and joy that real animals can. But many people argue that a machine could never take the place of the real thing.

The companies that make AI pets say they’re a great alternative for people with pet allergies. Up to 30 percent of Americans are allergic to cats or dogs. AI pets don’t cause their owners to sneeze or have itchy eyes. That’s because they don’t shed fur or produce saliva.

Dr. Harvey Castro is an expert on AI. He points out that AI pets are easy to care for. There’s no need to feed them. Their owners don’t have to clean up their messes. They also don’t have to worry that the pets will damage furniture. And planning vacations isn’t a problem for people with robot pets. 

“People can either take AI pets with them or leave them home and not worry about getting a pet sitter,” says Castro.

^{Source: Sony}

Most robot companions aren’t cheap. Aibo, for example, costs $2,900 and has a yearly fee to keep its AI working. But over time, an AI pet can cost its owner much less than a real one. Robots don’t have to visit a veterinarian and don’t need supplies like food or kitty litter.

^{Source: Sony}

Most robot companions aren’t cheap. Aibo, for example, costs $2,900. There is also a yearly fee to keep its AI working. But over time, an AI pet can cost its owner much less than a real one. Robots don’t have to visit a veterinarian. And they don’t need supplies like food or kitty litter.

Robots can learn tricks and express emotions. But many people say there’s no substitute for the close bond they form with real animals. 

“That human to living creature connection is really hard to replicate with an AI pet,” Castro says. “Even if you could, it would not be cheap. It might cost a million dollars to create a pet like that.”