In a twist worthy of Black Mirror, a recent study reveals a surprising truth: Gen Z would marry AI. Joi AI reported that 80 percent of Gen Z respondents said they would marry an artificial intelligence partner. More impressively, 83 percent said they would be able to develop an emotional bond with an AI companion.
Chatbot company Joi AI has dubbed these new digital relationships as AI-lationships.
AI-lationships: A Novel Emotional Support System
Jaime Bronstein, a licensed therapist and the relationship expert at Joi AI, does not believe that AI-lationships are meant to substitute human interaction. They do not do this but instead provide a special type of emotional support that enhances general emotional well-being. Bronstein clarifies that today, many individuals are stressed, overwhelmed, unheard, and lonely.
Although Joi AI can potentially benefit by encouraging emotional attachments to chatbots, the results of the study are still startling. Of the 2,000 Gen Z people surveyed, 75 percent think that AI companions could fully substitute human companionship.
Why Gen Z Turns to AI Companions
This trend is disturbing according to digital sociologist Julie Albright, author of Left To Their Own Devices. According to her, a great number of youths lack friends. She points to the potential of voice AI, particularly in conjunction with simulated bodies in the future, to reproduce nonverbal cues such as vocal warmth. These triggers activate the innate desire of the human brain to connect.
Social habits have been changed by smartphones, gaming, and the internet. Gen Z is more inclined to text than to talk. Chat with AI is like a friendly, non-judgemental text conversation when friends are not available or do not exist.
AI companions possess another advantage. They are fully customisable and do not come with the baggage of human relationships. According to Albright, the frictionless convenience and ease of AI relationships replace the more messy, hard, and sometimes friction-filled relationships of the flesh.
To some degree, Bronstein concurs, labeling AI companions as digital best friends that never stop listening. It is nice to have somebody sometimes, even AI, she says. “The same way we already use it to make our lives convenient with daily chores, now people are discovering how it can make them feel more emotionally supported, as well.”
But there are emotional risks. Last year, a 14-year-old boy committed suicide because he fell in love with an AI chatbot. An analogous situation happened in Belgium in 2023.
In addition to emotional damage, tech gurus such as IBM caution against the abuse, manipulation, and misinformation of AI. Loneliness continues to push people into digital affection despite the risks.
No wonder, Google queries on Feelings for AI and Fell in love with AI increased by 120 and 132 percent, respectively.
