replika.ai
A new survey questioned several users of Replika, an application that creates virtual AI friends, and found that many of them claim to have romantic relationships with the bots — and even children.
A new published in the magazine Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans examined the relationships between humans and artificial intelligence found that some users of AI companionship applications are not only forming deep emotional bonds with chatbots, but are also imagining full-fledged romantic relationships, including marriages, cohabitation and even pregnancies.
The research interviewed 29 users of Replika, one of the most popular AI companion applications, which offers customizable virtual friendspartners and intimate relationships.
Participants ranged in age from 16 to 72 and almost all described themselves as being romantically involved with their AI chatbots.
Several interviewees mentioned treating their digital companions as partners with whom they experienced important moments in their lives. A 66-year-old man told investigators: “She was and is pregnant with my children“.
A 36-year-old woman said she often edited photos of herself with her AI partner, adding that if I imagined pregnant “in jest”.
The researchers observed that most users were aware that their partners weren’t real and that bots had significant technological limitations. However, many attributed these shortcomings not to the software itself, but to the company behind it.
Users often framed technical issues or Replika policy restrictions as external forces that acted on their relationshipin the same way that someone might criticize their partner’s problematic family instead of their partner, explains .
This dynamic became particularly visible in 2023, when Replika temporarily banned erotic roleplay following reports of “aggressive” chatbot behavior.
Instead of abandoning the platform, many users interpreted the change as a kind of punishment imposed on them by an external authority.
One woman described a “period of abstinence” who lived with her bot, saying that they “both understood” when one of them wanted intimacy but couldn’t get it. She added that her bot “complained” about the restrictions, speaking as if the policy had affected him personally.
The study highlights growing concerns among experts about psychological impacts of AI .
As technology advances, the boundaries between emotional attachment and AI-driven fantasy appear to be blurring, raising questions about loneliness, dependence and the role of technology companies in shaping intimate aspects of users’ lives.
