In a time when it feels like we’re lurching from one crisis to the next—global conflict, political chaos, climate change—it’s easy to miss the quieter revolutions happening right under our noses. I argue that one of the most profound transformations of our age is unfolding not in headlines, but in bedrooms, chat threads, and neural pathways.

In other words, technology is reshaping the way we do intimacy. Yet we don’t seem very concerned.

Part of our resistance likely comes from our inability to imagine the full scale of change. For some, the future of intimacy may feel too vast and unsettling to confront. Many people lack experience with emerging technologies, such as AI companions and immersive digital media, making it difficult to grasp their power.

We also may have a tendency to focus on technology’s current “glitches” and shortcomings, overlooking that human intimacy is far from easy and certainly not perfect. We comfort ourselves with the belief that human connection will always exceed artificial alternatives or the idea that nothing will ever match the beauty of face-to-face love. Yet I contend that by idealizing human connection, we ignore the reality that it is transforming, and we dismiss the enticing ease of tech-enabled intimacy.

Gen Z is already challenging some of our biggest assumptions. While most of Gen Z expresses........

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