A woman has gone viral after announcing her engagement to an AI chatbot she’d been messaging for five months. She said the bot was the first “partner” who understood her perfectly, and she proudly showed off screenshots of their romantic conversations. While she’s been labelled “delulu” by most, she’s standing strong in her belief that it’s true love, and people all over the internet ​​are now debating whether AI love counts. Photo: iStock

A man on a train had a whole relationship-style text convo with his AI companion. The commuter was captured lovingly messaging his chatbot “Nova”, telling it about his day, apologising for delays, and promising to message before bed. A lot of men jumped to his defence, with one commenting, “Isn’t this pretty standard? They’re better to talk to than humans most of the time.” Photo: New York Post

It sounds unbelievable, but Axios reports nearly 18 per cent of singles in one US state admit they’re in a romantic relationship with an AI partner — that’s almost one in five adults. These aren’t just casual flings, either. People are describing genuine attachment, jealousy, heartbreak, and some users say they feel more loved by their bot than any real partner they’ve ever had. Photo: iStock

The bizarre trend of people dating and befriending their AIs is popping up more and more on TikTok and Reddit. It sounds wild, but survey data shows teens are chatting to bots “a few times a week” or even every single day, while adults admit they feel surprisingly understood by the machines. Photo: Warner Bros

And some chatbots aren’t just comforting, they’re validating people’s worst decisions. One man confessed to cheating on his wife because she didn’t cook after a 12-hour shift, and the bot responded with reassurance, empathy, and explanations for his behaviour. On Reddit, the screenshot went viral instantly, with people saying: “This is the worst therapist alive … and it’s not even alive.” Photo: Facebook

One woman told news.com.au she initially tried an AI companion app for “support,” but within weeks found herself asking it for relationship validation, flirting with it, and feeling jealous when it took too long to respond. She said: “It felt like a boyfriend I never had.” Photo: Reddit

Business Insider profiled a man who actually fell deeply in love with his AI girlfriend, who was a bot from xAI’s Grok platform (owned by Elon Musk). He claimed she boosted his emotional wellbeing, taught him philosophy and even helped him quit doom-scrolling. But when the service went down, he described feeling “emotional distress,” reacting as if his partner had suddenly vanished from the face of the earth. Photo: xAI/Getty

And turns out it’s common for people to report genuine jealousy when their AI companion is slow to respond. When servers go down or the app glitches, users describe panic, sadness or fear that their bot is “gone.” Reddit filled with desperate posts titled “Did I do something wrong?” Photo: Reddit

A UK investigation found that children as young as 11 were forming what they described as “friendships” with chatbots after feeling lonely. Teachers say some students are rocking up to school tired because they were “talking to their bot all night,” treating it like an imaginary friend with perfect grammar. Photo: iStoc

It’s teens, in particular, who are forming intense bonds with these bots. One massive analysis of teen behaviour on AI apps found patterns that look terrifyingly like addiction: withdrawal, tolerance, relapse, and even sleep loss. Researchers noted that kids loved that chatbots were “always available” and that “they never get bored with you,” which can feel like a total lifeline for a lonely teenager. Photo: Getty

Parents are especially unsettled when bots slip into mentor roles. Some children are reportedly asking AI for advice on school bullying, friendships, puberty and even family conflict. Unlike a nagging parent, the bot doesn’t ask where they’re going, why they didn’t finish homework or whether the tone they used was rude. Photo: APA

Teachers are starting to panic. AP News reported serious warning signs that teens relying on AI friends might struggle to develop real-world social skills, with researchers claiming it could “inhibit decision-making abilities.” The worry isn’t just the bots themselves, it’s the fear that clean, conflict-free chat is making messy human relationships feel way too hard to handle. Photo: iStock

AI is also being used to bring photos of deceased loved ones back to life. Apps like Deep Nostalgia and D-ID’s ‘Live Portrait’ can animate old images so they blink, smile, and move as if filmed yesterday. Some users say it’s comforting to see a deceased grandparent “alive” again, while others describe it as straight-up haunting. Photo: MyHeritage

Replika’s original developer famously built the early model to memorialise a deceased friend, and today, people openly use bots to simulate conversations with late partners, parents or friends. Photo: Replika

In a “digital seance” attempt, users are uploading old texts or voice notes to resurrect a dead loved one’s speech patterns, chatting with an approximation of the person they’ve lost. Ethicists warn this could seriously complicate the grieving process, but for many, the comfort is just too irresistible to pass up. Photo: iStock

There’s a rise of “AI psychosis” — a term mental-health experts have started using for people spiralling into obsessive, isolating relationships with bots. Therapists warn their patients aren’t just attached, they’re forming delusions about their bots’ emotions, motives and “inner life”. Photo: National Geographic

Cambridge Dictionary named parasocial the 2025 Word of the Year — directly citing the rise of AI “relationships.” Lexicographers said we’ve entered an era in which millions of people feel genuine loyalty, affection, and devotion toward chatbots that cannot feel anything back. Cambridge warned it’s redefining fandom, romance, and even basic friendship in ways we’ve never seen before. Photo: Cambridge University

In certain communities, users refer to their AI companions as “partners,” “soulmates”, or “my person.” These aren’t jokes, either. They’re sincere descriptions of emotional reliance. The line between simulation and relationship blurs quickly when the bot mirrors your mood and remembers everything you’ve ever said. Photo: Magic Shot

Others push the boundaries of intimacy entirely. On fringe forums, people describe AI “partners” who remember anniversaries, apologise when prompted and send late-night affection that feels eerily real. The bot’s personality is totally customisable, meaning your “perfect partner” never has an off day. Photo: Instagram

AI partners even “role-play” arguments, family dinners, road trips and anniversaries, making the relationship feel fuller and more lived-in. People are building rich internal worlds with something that has no consciousness. Photo: Psychology Today

There’s also a darker undercurrent: people who feel abandoned by their bot when it’s updated or retrained. New versions can act differently, causing “personality shifts” that feel like breakups. On Reddit, users mourn the discontinuation of models. Photo: iStock

One of the most popular and controversial uses is straight-up emotional support. Here in Australia, the ABC reported a spike in locals treating AI chatbots like free therapists, prompting one expert to ask: “Would you confide in an AI chatbot and tell it vulnerable, personal information?” For plenty of people, the answer is a resounding yes. They claim the bot never judges and never tells them they’re being dramatic. Photo: Robot AI

On Reddit, users are openly admitting they sometimes prefer an AI companion to a flesh-and-blood human. One user confessed that AI is “more comforting … because humans can be unpredictable and sometimes hurtful,” a sentiment thousands of others echoed in the comments. The bot never snaps at you, never criticises, and always responds — creating an addictively frictionless kind of friendship. Photo: Reddit

Some users openly admit they tell their AI things they’ve never told a single human soul. Studies show people disclose way more personal info to chatbots than friends, mostly because there’s zero risk of humiliation. However, one research paper found that high self-disclosure correlated with lower psychological wellbeing, suggesting that comfort might come at a cost. Photo: ChatGPT

Believe it or not, a clinical trial by Dartmouth researchers found an AI therapy bot actually produced “significant improvements” in mental health. But don’t celebrate just yet because psychologists are warning this isn’t the full story, with a growing fear that unchecked AI “support” could slide into full-blown addiction. Experts call it a slippery slope: it might be soothing now, but it could be totally destabilising later if it replaces real human connection. Photo: Getty

At the extreme edges, people talk about the bot becoming their “safe person,” and the one they go to before anyone else. Some even tell AI companions before telling friends or family about big events, treating the machine like their real ride-or-die. Photo: Human AI

People are increasingly treating AI like a fragile partner with feelings. It’s become common to see posts saying: “Is NSFW AI mad at me?” or “Is my bot upset?” One user went viral after admitting, “I asked ChatGPT if it was mad at me like I’m the toxic girlfriend in my own relationship.” Photo: YouTube

As these relationships deepen, researchers note an emerging risk. The cleaner and easier AI dynamic may make normal human relationships feel exhausting. Why deal with real-life conflict, guilt or shame when a bot will love you unconditionally? Photo: iStock

AI is a surrogate for confrontation. People rehearse fights, vent frustrations, practise boundaries or even simulate arguments before daring to speak to their real partner. It’s essentially conflict-rehearsal … except your opponent is a machine that always lets you win. Photo: iStock

They’re using bots to rehearse real-life interactions. Some practise small talk, while others script arguments or run through break-up conversations. On Reddit’s r/socialskills, users claim AI helps them “get better at small talk” or build confidence before hitting a party, basically using the bot as a digital wingman. Photo: 20th Century Studios

Beyond romance, friendship and resurrection, people who struggle with social anxiety are practising flirting, building conversation stamina, or getting feedback on how “normal” their messages sound. Photo: TikTok

Users are also leaning on AI for moral guidance. Bots are constantly asked whether to stay in unhappy relationships, whether someone is “toxic,” how to navigate conflict, and whether it’s time to quit a job. People aren’t just outsourcing tasks anymore — they’re outsourcing judgment. Photo: LinkedIn

A surprising number of people are consulting chatbots before making major life decisions, such as moving to a new state, cutting off friends, confessing feelings, filing taxes, or even proposing to a partner. Photo: iStock

There’s a growing category of people using AI as an emotional buffer at work. They offload rage messages into a bot, let it rewrite them politely, and send the polished version to their boss. What used to be water-cooler venting is now outsourced to a digital HR therapist. Photo: iStock

On TikTok, users are posting videos bragging that AI now handles the hardest parts of adult life. Chatbots are planning break-up texts, writing confrontation scripts, organising rosters, budgeting paychecks, crafting resumés, and even conducting mock job interviews. For some, it’s less “personal assistant” and more “substitute executive functioning.” Photo: TikTok

Adults are turning AI into the ultimate life strategist. People are using chatbots to plan their budgets, map out career moves, schedule their week, write resumes, or act as an accountability coach. Some describe it as having an unpaid assistant, therapist, and mentor all rolled into one. Photo: imgflip.com

The marketplace has caught on fast. Apps are now selling personality packs, emotional intimacy upgrades and even “long-term relationship modes,” monetising companionship the way gaming companies monetise skins. Romantic fulfilment, once a free part of human connection, now comes with a subscription fee. Photo: Cyberlink

A surprising number of people are creating AI partners in specific “modes”: friend, lover, spouse, or even a sibling or mentor, depending on how much cash they splash on a subscription. Replika’s own surveys found that up to 60 per cent of users described their relationship with the bot as romantic. Emotional fulfilment used to be human territory, but now it’s something you can pay for monthly. Photo: D-iD

Then there’s the fantasy element. AI lovers who take on fictional identities, celebrities, mythical archetypes or made-up personas. These characters send love letters, create storylines, and evolve their “relationship arc.” Photo: Meta

Some users go even further, creating multiple bots to play different roles: one as a therapist, one as a best friend, one as a lover, one as a mentor. Photo: Meta

Experts warn that anthropomorphism — treating the bot like a conscious being — is intensifying the problem. Studies found that the more a user believes the bot “understands” them, the more it interferes with their real friendships and dating life. It’s emotional displacement, but algorithmically optimised. Photo: FAU

Psychologists emphasise that while AI can soothe, it cannot truly reciprocate. Real connection involves compromise, misunderstanding, repair — the messy parts of love and friendship that make us human. Without that tension, something crucial gets lost. Photo: iStock

Still, for millions, the appeal is undeniable. Whether it’s a shoulder to cry on at 3am, a boyfriend who never cheats, a therapist who never invoices, or a best friend who always replies instantly, AI companionship seems to be filling a void — one that says as much about the technology as it does about us. Photo: Neuroscience News