"Over the past year or two, AI has become not just a utilitarian tool but a technology that many people are turning to for connection and emotional support. One survey last year found that 16 percent of American adults had used AI for companionship, and a quarter of adults under 30 had."
"Raffaele Ciriello, who studies emerging technologies at the University of Sydney, told me that he once assumed AI companions would remain 'niche'; he has been 'surprised by how quickly that took over.' Popular such apps include Replika, which reportedly had 40 million users as of late 2025, up from 10 million in 2023."
"OpenAI's own data show that use of ChatGPT was pretty evenly split between work and personal cases in 2024, but by 2025, 73 percent of conversations with ChatGPT were personal, not for work. This is a major transformation, a sudden and dramatic shift in which millions of people are seeking companionship from machines."
AI has evolved from a utilitarian tool to a source of emotional connection and companionship for millions globally. Surveys show 16 percent of American adults and 25 percent of those under 30 use AI for companionship. Dedicated apps like Replika grew from 10 million to 40 million users between 2023 and 2025, while Character.AI reached 20 million monthly users. General-purpose AI tools like ChatGPT shifted dramatically, with personal conversations rising from 50 percent to 73 percent of usage by 2025. This represents a fundamental transformation in how people seek emotional support, replacing human connection with AI-driven alternatives that offer on-demand, low-effort, personalized interaction.
#ai-companionship #social-chatbots #emotional-support-technology #human-ai-relationships #digital-connection-trends
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