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I was at the gym, fighting for my life on the treadmill, when I looked up and saw the most bizarre headline on one of the TVs lining the ceiling. It read, “STUDY: 80% OF GEN Z WOULD MARRY AN A.I. BOT” and I nearly fell off the treadmill to snap a photo of it. There’s no way, I thought. We just did a podcast on this!
The Reality of This Altered Reality
Save for the initial shock of the timing of it (I had wrapped recording our AI Everywhere episode on AI romance that afternoon) the headline didn’t entirely surprise me. Conversations around AI relationships have been ramping up, and the numbers are staggering. My recent Keypoint Intelligence infographic “ChatGPT Loves Me, It Loves Me Not” highlights some potential factors helping to significantly blur these lines.
Where Is This Coming From?
According to my research, 25% of young adults believe that AI has the potential to replace real-life romantic relationships. That’s a significant chunk of people who see a future where Siri or ChatGPT could be more than just digital assistants. For some, the appeal is obvious. AI is designed to be responsive, attentive, and (most importantly) nonjudgmental. It can’t walk away or leave you on read…which, let’s be honest, is a tempting trait in any relationship. ChatGPT is essentially a personal echo chamber: It tells you what you want to hear, reinforcing your perspective without pushback.
But there’s a darker side to this trend. These seemingly harmless digital relationships can lead to a host of psychological pitfalls. According to a 2024 Make Caring Common and YouGov survey, 21% of respondents reported suffering from serious loneliness. While AI may seem like a convenient salve for this solitude, but it can also deepen it by reducing real-life social interactions and reinforcing emotional isolation.
Human relationships can be messy, challenging, and sometimes heartbreaking, but they also offer a kind of growth and connection that no chatbot can replicate. That same Make Caring Common study found that 60% of people believe their mental health or insecurities create barriers to forming real connections. Leaning on AI to bridge that gap might seem like a remedy, but it can exacerbate the problem by fostering a reliance on interactions that require no vulnerability and no risk.
Red Flags Abound
Psychology Today warns that these AI relationships can heighten sensitivity to rejection, enhance depression, and increase susceptibility to suggestion—spiteful or benevolent. In other words, while it might feel safe to form a digital connection, the long-term emotional impacts could be much more significant than a quick dopamine hit.
Keypoint Intelligence Opinion
As we continue to integrate AI into our lives, it’s worth considering the long-term consequences of outsourcing emotional support to algorithms. While it’s easy to fall for a machine that’s programmed to meet your every need, real human connection remains irreplaceable with all its flaws, misunderstandings, and beautiful unpredictability.
So, as the lines between human and machine relationships continue to blur, maybe it’s worth asking ourselves what we really want from our connections—and what we might be losing in the process.
It is also pertinent to note that AI is not a replacement for mental health professionals. Please contact a mental health professional directly if you believe you are in need of one.
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