Relationships are messy, beautiful, and deeply human. They push us to grow, teach us about ourselves, and give us someone to share both the highs and the lows with. Romantic relationships, in particular, are some of the most complicated and intense. They bring us face-to-face with our insecurities, and when they fall apart, the pain cuts the deepest. Yet they’re also among the meaningful and rewarding bonds many of us will ever have.
And just when we thought human relationships were complicated enough, a new kind has entered the picture: relationships with artificial intelligence (AI). What was once pure science fiction has become part of real people’s lives, raising new questions about intimacy, connection, and what it means to be “in relationship” at all.
These rapid changes are raising important questions about how people are viewing their relationships with AI and what this could mean for other human relationships.
That curiosity led to the following study, which looks at how people are forming relationships with AI and how those connections can influence their human relationships as well. In this study, we explored how these bonds can mirror, challenge, and sometimes even shift the way we approach human-to-human relationships.
Key Findings of Our Study
- 28.16% of adults claim to have at least one intimate or romantic relationship with an AI.
- Adults 60 years and older are more likely to consider intimate relationships with AI as not cheating.
- More than half of Americans claim to have some kind of relationship with an AI system.
- ChatGPT is the #1 AI platform adults feel they have a relationship with, Amazon’s Alexa is #3, Apple’s Siri is #4, and Google’s Gemini is #5.
- Adults currently in successful relationships are more likely to pursue an intimate or romantic relationship with an Artificial Intelligence.
AI is quickly becoming part of daily life. People lean on it to save time, automate tasks, and ask for advice. So it isn’t surprising that some are also curious about whether it can offer friendship or even romance.
The surprising part is how common this already is. Almost 30% of participants in our study said they’ve had at least one intimate or romantic relationship with AI, and more than half described having some kind of relationship with an AI system.
Where this goes from here is hard to predict. These numbers could continue to climb as AI becomes more advanced, or they could fall if people start to pull back once they see its limitations.
Another unexpected finding is that AI intimacy doesn’t seem to be just about filling a gap when someone is lonely. People who reported being in successful relationships were actually more likely to explore intimacy with AI. The research is early on this topic, but this raises big questions about curiosity, novelty, and what people are really seeking when they turn to AI for these connections.
AI and Human Relationship Basics
Our first discovery is that more than half of American adults studied, 53.95%, claim to have some sort of a relationship with an Artificial Intelligence system. While barely a majority, this finding was not expected by our research team. Having a relationship here could mean being a work colleague, friend, or other connection type that is not romantic or intimate in nature. This data shows that humans are beginning to see computer systems are more like other humans than machines.
The most common platform humans claimed to have a relationship with was ChatGPT, followed by Character.ai, Alexa, Siri, and Google’s Gemini (which briefly became the #1 most downloaded app on the Apple appstore).
Here is the full list of AI or computer systems those in our study claimed to form a relationship with on some level in order of the most humans claiming to form a relationship with the AI:
- ChatGPT
- Character.ai
- Alexa
- Siri
- Gemini (Google)
- Claude
- Perplexity
- Microsoft Copilot
- Grok (X.com)
- Muah AI
- Dreamle AI
- Soulmate AI
- Moemate AI
- Nomi.ai
- Anima AI
- Github Copilot
- MindRoomAI
- Rubii AI
- Ani (Grok Companion)
- Omypal
- Rudi (Grok Companion)
- Dream Companion
- Waifuhub
- Tynk
- Snapchat’s AI bot
- Jellypod
- Grammarly
- Replika
- Question AI
- Clara AI
When we asked about relationships with AI systems our study participants were given several options to choose from beyond romantic and intimate relationships including: Platonic Friendship, Business or Work Colleague, Therapist and Patient, Sibling, Parental, Fitness Coach, etc…
Of those participating in our study only 28.16% claimed to have at least one intimate or romantic relationship with an AI system while the rest (71.84%) did not have this kind of connection. Some participants went out of their way to tell us they were not having intimate relationships or to explain that they knew the relationships were false. For example, one participant that uses Character.ai frequently stated “…for character AI I just play stories” seemingly trying to avoid being stigmatized by the platforms seedier uses, and another participant stated “I guess it’s a “friendship” but I know it’s not sentient”.
This makes romantic relationships with AI a small part of American life, though more than a quarter of American adults making this claim should be alarming to many. Especially as the Institute for Family Studies declares that America is in a “Sex Recession”.
AI and Human Intimacy
However; while there are many ways humans can form relationships with AI systems, more than 50% of those who claimed to have formed a relationship with one or more AI systems were currently engaging in at least one intimate or romantic relationship.
“…[I] have sexual chats but I don’t see it as a relationship. It’s a thing” – Anonymous study participant
52.20% of those who declared having some relationship with an Artificial Intelligence stated they were having at least once intimate or romantic relationship. These could be in the form of a sexy casual chat, an unserious but committed relationship (similar to dating but with an AI), or a committed relationship. There are possible benefits to a human from such a relationship including increased dopamine. However, the downsides likely outweigh the benefits. Humans in AI relationships are more likely to be disconnected from other humans becoming more antisocial and may even demonstrate classic signs of addiction.
Of those in our study having an intimate or romantic relationship with artificial intelligence, up to 53.34% are currently in a successful committed relationship of some form with another human including marriage, long-term dating, engagement, etc…
Up to 37.55% are not currently seeking a human relationship or have been unsuccessful in the recent past at pursuing human romantic relationships.
Up to 33.69% are currently cheating on their significant other or casually dating / having sex with more than one person consensually.
Up to 19.30% are not currently in an intimate or romantic human relationship but are seeking a partner or partners.
Adding up shows us as much as 87.04% of Americans currently having some relationship with an artificial intelligence are in some form of successful human intimate, romantic, or sexual relationship. (note: in order to encourage participation and honesty, participants were allowed to declare both a committed relationship and that they were currently having casual sex with other people as part of their responses. The above do not add up to 100% due to this.)
Here is the full list of response by current human relationship status. Please keep in mind a participant could declare more than one:
- In a committed relationship with more than one person consensually – 11.93%
- Worried there is no one out there for me to be with romantically for casual or long-term relationships – 11.58%
- Ready to be dating but not actively seeking – 11.23%
- In both a committed relationship and casual relationship – 10.53%
- In a long-term dating monogamous relationship or engaged to be married – 10.18%
- Actively seeking someone to date (i.e. going to bars, speed dating, using dating apps, etc…) – 9.82%
- Wish I was dating someone and actively seeking with no success – 9.47%
- In a married or similarly long-term committed relationship – 8.77%
- Dating one or more persons casually – 7.02%
- Uninterested in intimate or romantic relationships with other people – 5.26%
- Not dating but actively having casual sex with one or more persons – 4.21%
Does Technology Blur the Lines of Cheating?
We do a lot of therapeutic work with clients who are cheating and having affairs, but also clients who are consensually in non-monogamous relationships. Thus, we found it very interesting to see the results of how Americans define fidelity, monogamy, and non-monogamy when it comes to AI intimacy when they’re also in other committed human relationships.
In our study we asked participants whether they believed they had a relationship with AI or not to consider the implications of someone in a committed human relationship also participating in an intimate or romantic relationship with an AI bot and if this should be considered cheating or not. Astoundingly older adults, those aged 60 or older, are the most welcoming of AI romantic relationships alongside romantic human relationships with 50.29% saying these relationships are not cheating on humans. While younger adults, those aged 18 to 29, were the most likely to believe having romantic AI relationships at the same time as romantic human relationships was cheating and unacceptable. Responses that these types of relationships are cheating on human relationships but acceptable were the smallest part of each age cohort, with adults aged 45 to 60 the most likely to consider these relationships as acceptabile cheating.
Here is how this broke down by age group and response:
Having a romantic or intimate AI relationship at the same time as a romantic or human relationship is cheating and unacceptable.
- 18-29 – 56.52%
- 30-44 – 52.38%
- 45-60 – 46.28%
- 60+ – 42.29%
Having a romantic or intimate AI relationship at the same time as a romantic or human relationship is not considered cheating.
- 18-29 – 33.33%
- 30-44 – 30.36%
- 45-60 – 28.65%
- 60+ – 50.29%
Having a romantic or intimate AI relationship at the same time as a romantic or human relationship is cheating but it is acceptable.
- 18-29 – 10.14%
- 30-44 – 17.26%
- 45-60 – 25.07%
- 60+ – 7.45%
Methodology
We surveyed 1,012 adults living in the United States about their interactions and relationships with artificial intelligence systems and computer systems. We used the Surveymonkey audience census balancing to ensure an even representation of adults from across the nation, age groups, income ranges, and other factors. Our team examined survey data for signs of bad responses including incomplete responses or open answer responses signifying they took the survey in bad faith and removed any such responses. This study has a margin of error of 3.08% at a 95% confidence level.
Conclusion
We are living in a rapidly evolving moment where the definition of “relationship” is expanding in ways no generation before us has faced. It’s natural to feel both curious and unsettled by this shift. As with any new frontier, it comes with opportunities and risks.
If you find yourself drawn to AI intimacy, pause and ask:
What am I really seeking here? Comfort, novelty, safety, or escape?
How might this relationship support me, and how might it pull me away from the people I care about most?
Am I being honest with myself and my partner(s) about the role AI is playing in my life?
Relationships, whether human or artificial, can be spaces of discovery. What matters most is staying grounded in your values, being transparent in your commitments, and remembering that real growth often happens in the messy, unpredictable, and deeply rewarding connections we build with other people.
