AI Agent Orchid Pitched as Relationship Fix—Therapists Call It Counterproductive

Orchid, an AI agent company, released a promotional video on Wednesday that quickly became the subject of backlash online. The video depicts a scenario in which a boyfriend named Sam is gaming and going through expired groceries when he realizes he has forgotten his anniversary. He turns to Orchid, an AI assistant, typing "Ok ok, I can do this." Orchid responds, "You can't. That's why I'm here," and proceeds to make a restaurant reservation and purchase his girlfriend's favorite flowers—lilies—a detail Sam had failed to remember. Throughout the day, the girlfriend also consults Orchid, fully aware that the AI agent is orchestrating the entire gesture, yet she allows Sam to receive full credit for the plan. The ad was widely criticized on X (formerly Twitter), with users condemning it for marketing to "adult babies uninterested in the world they live in" and for perpetuating "dead-end relationship[s] that both parties secretly hate." The scenario taps into a broader online phenomenon: the concept of "weaponized incompetence," a term used to describe partners—predominantly men in heterosexual relationships—who act incapable of performing household and relational tasks (cooking, cleaning, scheduling, being thoughtful) in hopes their partner will simply do them instead. Lauren Maher, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Los Angeles, rejected the premise that Orchid could address relationship dysfunction. She explained that outsourcing difficult but necessary communication prevents couples from experiencing the "messy but meaningful growing pains" that allow relationships to deepen and evolve. She also noted that Orchid introduces a form of "triangulation"—indirect communication through a third party—which couples therapy typically advises against because it strains relationships by preventing partners from speaking directly to each other. Maher emphasized that "an AI app will never be able to compensate for a lack of attention or genuine caring, and no amount of feigned attention will convince the nervous system that someone is there for you when they are not." Additional evidence of AI's limitations in romantic contexts emerged from a survey conducted by astrology app Hint, which polled over 13,000 adults across the United States, Latin America, and Europe. The results showed that 59 percent of respondents said AI assistants' advice left them more confused than before they sought guidance. Furthermore, 47 percent reported that AI input influenced them to postpone making decisions about their romantic relationships. Orchid did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Beyond the relationship marketing angle, Orchid positions itself as a broad workflow automation tool, pitching itself as the ideal agent to "automate your life" by working across connected apps without requiring users to switch between them. However, it remains unclear what features—beyond its texting capability—distinguish Orchid from competing AI agents in the market. According to a June blog post from the company, Orchid's larger ambitions center on ushering in "a new vision for how people do, well, everything." The viral ad, while generating considerable attention and discussion, appears to function primarily as a bait-and-switch, drawing eyeballs to the company rather than accurately representing its core business focus. As one takeaway makes clear: while Orchid may be suited for automating workflows, fixing a genuinely troubled relationship almost certainly is not among its capabilities.