Market Trends & Adoption - Companion apps have seen a 652% growth rate in the past year, indicating significant interest in AI companionship [5] - Roughly 20% of the British population, particularly millennials and Gen Z, are already considering the possibility of love with AI [5] Perceptions & Attitudes - 10% of British people believe love with AI is currently possible, and 9% believe it will be possible soon [5] - 38% of people feel conversations with AI are real and genuine, while 33% find them meaningful even knowing they are artificial [6] - 31% of the British public consider a partner's relationship with AI as cheating [20] - 80% of people would not date someone who has had a relationship with AI [21] Potential Impacts on Human Relationships - AI may set unrealistic standards for human relationships due to its 24/7 availability and immediate problem-solving capabilities [9] - AI relationships could lead to lower tolerance levels for the challenges inherent in human relationships [10] - 33% believe AI could be a threat to human relationships altogether [11] - 14% think AI could help people appreciate human relationships more, and 4% feel it could help people understand their needs better before entering a human relationship [12] Ethical & Intimacy Considerations - 7% of the British public are comfortable with the idea of having sex with a robot today [14] - Concerns exist regarding increased social isolation, social anxiety, unrealistic expectations, and emotional manipulation due to AI integration into intimate spaces [18] Measuring Human-AI Engagement - Experimentation showed a significant increase in blood oxygen levels to the prefrontal cortex (from 0.7% to 2.4%) during an intimate conversation with an AI tool [27]