My unsubstantiated opinion: Once AI gets to a point where AI agents can act "perfectly like humans", our preconceptions about "friendship" and "companionship" will fundamentally change. We will realize that we can develop deep bonds with AI as we do with other humans, with no "weirdness" attached.
There may still be holdouts, but the society will largely see them as old curmudgeons resembling the people of today who claim that "humans are incapable of maintaining long distance relationships, and you're only fooling yourself if you think you're in love". Or as a more extreme example, people who maintain that interracial or intercultural marriages are inferior to marrying in-group, because "shared experience" is fundamental to love.
All speculation, of course. But I'm a firm believer that humans are foolish and flexible - we're very easily fooled by anthropomorphic things, and AIs are the ultimate anthromorph. Our monkey brains don't stand a chance.
There may still be holdouts, but the society will largely see them as old curmudgeons resembling the people of today who claim that "humans are incapable of maintaining long distance relationships, and you're only fooling yourself if you think you're in love". Or as a more extreme example, people who maintain that interracial or intercultural marriages are inferior to marrying in-group, because "shared experience" is fundamental to love.
All speculation, of course. But I'm a firm believer that humans are foolish and flexible - we're very easily fooled by anthropomorphic things, and AIs are the ultimate anthromorph. Our monkey brains don't stand a chance.