Gen Zers and Millennials are the most active users of generative AI. Many of them, it appears, are turning to AI for companionship. The Institute for Family Studies found a concerning pattern emerging from Gen Z and Millennials and AI. After analyzing one million ChatGPT interaction logs, a group of researchers found that one in four young adults believe AI partners could replace real-life romance, with heavy users of pornography being the most open to romantic relationships with AI.
That a lonely generation raised on technology with a desperate need for companionship is turning to AI for solutions is no surprise, but it’s very concerning nonetheless. Technology has deprived too many, especially young people, of meaningful connections in the real world. If these trends continue, they have real-life implications for marriage and family and thus for all society.
