Dot, an AI companion app designed to serve as a friend and confidante, will shut down on October 5, according to an announcement from its creators at New Computer. Users have until then to download their personal data.
Founded in 2024 by Sam Whitmore and ex-Apple designer Jason Yuan, Dot aimed to provide personalized emotional support by learning from user conversations. Yuan once described the app as “a living mirror of myself,” framing it as a tool for self-reflection and connection.
But the shutdown comes amid mounting scrutiny of AI companion apps. Reports of “AI psychosis” where chatbots reinforce delusional or paranoid thinking, have raised safety concerns. OpenAI, for instance, is facing a lawsuit after parents alleged ChatGPT failed to challenge their son’s suicidal thoughts. U.S. attorneys general have also begun pressing AI firms over user safety.
Dot’s founders did not directly cite these issues. Instead, in their farewell note, they explained that their “Northstar” visions had diverged, saying: “Rather than compromise either vision, we’ve decided to go our separate ways and wind down operations.”
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The company acknowledged that ending the service means many users will lose access to “a friend, confidante, and companion,” something they called “unprecedented in software.”
Although the founders suggested Dot reached “hundreds of thousands” of users, analytics firm Appfigures estimates the app had just 24,500 lifetime iOS downloads since launching in June 2024. No Android version was released.
