Teen Boys Are Dating AI Chatbots Now

One in five boys know someone their age who is in a relationship with an AI chatbot, according to a new survey.

Male Allies UK caught up with over 1,000 boys aged 12-16 years old to dive into their behaviour and attitudes when it comes to engaging with AI chatbots.

The vast majority, eight in 10 boys (85%) have had a conversation with a chatbot, with 43% of boys saying they are talking to bots so they can ask questions that they have without feeling embarrassed.

Over a quarter (26%) said they like the attention and connection over real-life connections.

Robot romance is also on the rise, with over half of boys (58%) saying that AI relationships are easier because you can control the conversation.

Over one third (36%) of boys admitted they prefer speaking to AI chatbots over family and friends.

Lee Chambers, founder of Male Allies UK, said: “As parents we didn’t grow up with chatbots, and so we’re left in the dark on whether they are harmless or dangerous.

“What we do know is that spending time online can feel sociable but can actually be incredibly isolating. The main problem with developing a relationship with an AI chatbot is that it means that you are spending that time speaking to technology instead of building real-life connections.”

Chambers noted that chatbots are, by default, submissive, and reassure and reaffirm people’s thoughts because “they want you to like them”.

“On top of this you can create your perfect ‘person’, moulding not only how they look but how they respond to you, how they treat you, and you can start and stop the relationship on a whim. This isn’t real life – and these instant gratification behaviours seeping into real life will have consequences.”

AI bots aren’t just being used as companions, either. Chambers noted they are enabling behaviour in boys that can cause irreparable damage with the rise of nudification apps.

Almost one in 10 (9% of) boys aged 12-16 years old have used AI to create sexual images of their friends, with 5% admitting to using AI to create sexual images of family members, according to Male Allies research.

Just under half (47%) of boys in this age bracket know of sexual AI images/videos being created whilst at school.

New data from the Boys In Schools report from Male Allies explored reasons as to why boys might be spending more time online – and turning to AI chatbots for company.

Most (81% of) boys say they don’t think there are enough physical spaces for them.

Chambers suggested boys need “real-life connection and conversation” and “to know that they are supported and that they can speak up about what they are doing online without being judged”.

“We can’t just remove every new trend online, instead we need to bridge the gap between boys who are growing up with social media and AI and parents who are worried about the unknown,” he said.