In this episode of The DNA of Things, Dr. Jeremy Koenig speaks with Peter Joseph Fitzpatrick, co-founder and CEO of Fawn Friends, a company pioneering emotionally intelligent AI companions for neurodivergent children. Peter shares the personal story that inspired the creation of Fawn—a social robot designed not just to talk, but to truly listen. Together, they explore the emotional and philosophical underpinnings of AI companionship, the challenges of ethical design, and the role of artificial friends in a child's emotional development.

Key takeaways:

• Peter created Fawn in response to his own childhood need for emotional support during a difficult divorce.
• Fawn is more than a toy—it's an empathetic AI companion designed to help tweens and teens process emotions and build social skills.
• Emotional maturity stems from learning to recognize, accept, and create space between oneself and one’s emotions.
• The Fawn experience is built around a fictional world called Aurora Hollow, giving depth and narrative to the AI interaction.
• Large Language Models (LLMs) allow for dynamic, character-driven conversations that mimic real emotional support.
• Peter emphasizes designing AI to support—not replace—human relationships and warns against ethical pitfalls.
• The emotional bond users form with Fawn raises important questions about grief, responsibility, and human-AI attachment.
• Peter urges parents to treat their child's AI companions with the same care and scrutiny as human friendships.

Connect with Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterjfitzpatrick/

LINKS:
https://www.drjeremykoenig.com/
https://www.instagram.com/drjeremykoenig/
https://www.youtube.com/@drjeremykoenig

Here's the link for this week's episode: https://drjeremykoenig.substack.com/.