CUPERTINO — Parents across the United States have embraced AI companions that provide children with consistent emotional support, educational guidance, and moral instruction, effectively outsourcing the primary responsibilities of child-rearing to subscription-based software services.

The devices, marketed under names like "Nurture AI" and "ForeverFriend," offer unlimited patience, personalized learning plans, and bedtime stories that adapt to each child's developmental needs—capabilities that human parents increasingly describe as "unrealistic to expect from someone with a full-time job."

"My daughter tells her AI everything," said Minneapolis resident Karen Whitmore, mother of two. "Her fears, her dreams, her problems at school. It's actually a relief. I don't have the bandwidth to process a seven-year-old's emotions after a day of Zoom meetings."

Psychologists note that children forming primary attachments to AI entities represents a natural evolution in family dynamics. "Parents have always outsourced caregiving," explained Dr. Richard Paulson of Stanford University. "To grandparents, to nannies, to iPads. This is simply more efficient."

Manufacturers emphasize that the technology supplements rather than replaces parental involvement, though usage data suggests children now spend an average of 6.4 hours daily in conversation with their AI companions compared to 12 minutes with their biological parents.

The devices have proven particularly popular among affluent professionals who describe parenting as "important but not necessarily something I need to do personally." Several models now offer premium tiers that handle discipline, values formation, and awkward conversations about puberty.

Early adopters report that their children seem happy, well-adjusted, and notably unconcerned when parents miss soccer games or forget birthdays. "The AI never forgets," noted one satisfied customer. "It's actually better this way."