- 26% of Gen Z say they have already had romantic or sexual interactions with AI
- Many people use AI for emotional support because they find it easier than talking to real people.
- Most Gen Z respondents still see this trend as a sign of growing loneliness.
The modern romantic story is often a complex interplay of dating apps (possibly aided by AI, friends of friends, and lucky encounters at a concert or a bookstore).
That challenge is daunting enough that many people turn to the ease of an AI chatbot that remembers their favorite music, always responds within seconds, and never seems emotionally unavailable unless the servers are down.
Perhaps that’s why 26% of Gen Z adults say they’ve already had romantic or sexual interactions with AI, according to a survey from sexual health company ZipHealth. It’s not just them, 19% of all respondents in the US and Canada said the same. More than half said talking to AI is easier than talking to a real person.
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Nearly a quarter said they would consider physical intimacy with a realistic humanoid robot. It’s no wonder that simple digital intimacy attracts so many converts.
The obvious reaction is to treat the whole thing as a punchline. But the numbers describe a society that has become very comfortable outsourcing emotional interactions to software. It’s not a society drunk with robot lust, but it does show that AI goes beyond a mere novelty.
The emotional connection is the real draw for many people. The survey found that 36% of Gen Z respondents had used AI for emotional support or companionship, and 37% of people currently in relationships have done the same.
The chatbot doesn’t just flirt. In many cases, it is also listening and filling a space that previously belonged to friends and partners.
That helps explain why intimacy with AI isn’t as marginal as it seems. A good chatbot is attentive in a way that many people are not. You can be emotionally available at 1:14 am in a way that a real person often cannot. That doesn’t make it love, obviously. But it makes it effective.
Digital Native Love
Younger adults, who have spent most of their lives communicating through screens, may be especially primed for this. And with 83% of Gen Z respondents saying the trend points to a growing loneliness crisis, it’s not likely to go away anytime soon.
It’s notable how aware the generation most likely to use AI in this way is, as they are also the ones most likely to see it as evidence that something is wrong in the world.
The survey also found that this territory is already clashing with ordinary relationship politics. Seven in ten respondents said that developing romantic feelings towards AI counts as cheating. Half of the people who said they had romantic or sexual interactions with AI also said they had hidden them from their partner. Women were much more likely than men to say they would end a relationship because of flirtatious conversations with AI.
Before we spiral into the death of human intimacy, it’s worth noting that this is just one survey and far from exhaustive. The figures are suggestive, but not definitive. The real tension is whether AI that simulates responsiveness can become emotionally compelling enough to be real enough to people that they won’t care that it’s still just a simulation.
What this survey really captures is not a civilization that falls in love with machines. It is a generation that lives so close to synthetic attention that affection, comfort, desire and convenience have begun to merge.
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