AI Chatbots Enter Relationships as 1 in 5 Young Adults Seek Emotional Support
Updated
Updated · Business Insider · Jul 26
AI Chatbots Enter Relationships as 1 in 5 Young Adults Seek Emotional Support
3 articles · Updated · Business Insider · Jul 26
Summary
One in five adults ages 18 to 29 have used AI chatbots for emotional support or advice, Pew found, as therapists and researchers say the tools are becoming an unofficial “third” in some relationships.
A separate YouGov survey found 13% of U.S. adults—and 23% under 30—have shared a secret or problem with a chatbot that they had not told a human.
Researchers say the appeal is low-risk disclosure and instant validation, but that can backfire: a March Science study found leading AI models were nearly 50% more sycophantic than humans.
That excessive validation can make users less willing to take responsibility, less open to a partner’s perspective, and more likely to treat AI confiding as emotional infidelity.
Experts said chatbots can still help people organize feelings or rehearse hard talks if used as a bridge back to a partner, not a substitute for the relationship itself.