AI chatbots are moving beyond answering questions and drafting emails, with a growing number of people apparently using them for flirtation, arousal and even emotional companionship.

A new Talker Research survey of 2,000 US adults found that 15% of men have engaged in flirtatious conversations with an AI chatbot, compared with 8% of women. The gender gap was similar when respondents were asked whether an interaction with an AI had aroused them, with 17% of men answering yes, against 9% of women.

The survey covered mainstream AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude and Google Gemini rather than dedicated virtual-companion services. In other words, some people are turning to the same chatbots they use for work, study and everyday tasks for considerably more intimate conversations.

The biggest divide, however, was between generations. Gen Z respondents were by far the most likely to have used AI for romantic or sexual conversations, with 27% saying they had done so. The same percentage said an AI interaction had aroused them. The figures dropped to 16% among millennials, 9% among Gen X and just 2% among baby boomers.

The appeal may partly lie in what AI can offer that human dating cannot. A chatbot is available whenever someone wants to talk, does not reject advances and can maintain a conversation without appearing to lose interest. For people dealing with loneliness, that constant availability can make AI companionship particularly attractive.

But having an always-available digital companion does not necessarily make people less lonely. A 12-month study published in Psychological Science in 2026 found that people who used social chatbots for companionship reported greater loneliness over time. The findings suggest that AI may provide a form of companionship without necessarily addressing the underlying need for human connection.

The survey also raises questions about where people draw the line between harmless interaction and infidelity. Nearly one in four Americans, 24%, said flirting with an AI should be considered cheating. Among Gen Z respondents, that figure rose to 36%.

That creates an intriguing contradiction. Gen Z is the group most likely to flirt with AI, yet it is also the group most likely to consider such behaviour a relationship dealbreaker. The survey does not establish why, but the figures suggest that people may still be working out what constitutes acceptable behaviour in relationships involving increasingly human-like technology.

There is also growing acceptance of the possibility that these interactions could develop into something more serious. Forty-four per cent of those surveyed believe people will eventually form genuine emotional relationships with AI, while 16% expect such relationships to become widespread.

For now, chatting romantically with a machine remains a relatively new behaviour. But as AI becomes a permanent presence in people’s phones, workplaces and homes, the distinction between using a chatbot as a tool and treating it as a companion could become increasingly blurred.