Honestly disturbing and fascinating at the same time. People will bond with anything, yet some will dehumanize real people that are different. Can understand the temptation of a perfect partner, but this always-yes enabling chat bots are toxic. It would be one thing if these were true AI's in the fully sentient/sapient sense, but this is just self-delusion.
Another reason I hate how the term AI has been co-opted by tech bros, using the term to increase sales, poisoning the true meaning.
Cost, because distances involved with how spread out the US is. And because Capitalism of course.