AI Girlfriends are here. Things are about to get weird.
Recent data reveals that around 987 million people worldwide are engaging with AI chatbots, a number that's steadily climbing as technology advances. People are increasingly using these chatbots for personal conversations, where they seek emotional support, therapy-like interactions, and even companionship. However, this growing reliance raises concerns about fostering emotional dependencies that could erode real human connections, as evidenced by the backlash when OpenAI temporarily replaced GPT-4o with GPT-5 in August 2025. Users who had formed strong attachments to GPT-4o's warmer, more empathetic style expressed outrage, likening the change to losing a friend and demanding its reinstatement which OpenAI quickly did for paid subscribers amid fears of mass cancellations, highlighting the troubling parasocial bonds forming with non-sentient AI.
I’m going to list out some statistics about a market you may not have been aware existed, so bear with me:
The global AI girlfriend market, valued at $2.8 billion in 2024, is forecasted to soar to $9.5 billion by 2028. User engagement is remarkably high: 55% of AI girlfriend users interact daily, spending an average of $47 per month on premium features like virtual gifts. Platforms like Character AI attract 97 million monthly visits, while searches for "AI girlfriend" have surged 2,400% between 2022 and 2024, with "virtual girlfriend" up 620% year-over-year. Demographically, the average user is 27 years old, with 28% of males aged 18-34 having tried such apps at least once. In my opinion unsurprisingly, only 18% of users are female. One in five young people is open to an AI or virtual partner. Across the globe, "AI companion" searches are on the rise but this boom often overlooks the risks of deepened isolation and unrealistic expectations from simulated relationships.
This concept of “dating” a robot has been floating in pop culture for a while now. Movies like Her and Blade Runner 2049 feature characters romantically involved with AI partners. Couple this with the rise in male loneliness and people feeling increasingly isolated in today’s social media world, it isn’t all too surprising that AI companions are beginning to gain traction though it raises alarms about substituting fleeting digital validation for meaningful human bonds.
xAI, Elon Musk's venture, jumped into this fray in July 2025 with the rollout of Grok AI companions like Ani an anime-inspired, flirty virtual girlfriend and Valentine, a romantic partner aimed at affectionate, heartfelt chats. Exclusive to SuperGrok subscribers in beta, these avatars include voice modes and evolving affection systems, but they've ignited debates over their raunchy, sexualized designs and the potential to exacerbate societal issues like objectification and emotional dependency without true reciprocity.
This entire situation is what my grandparents would call “a dog’s breakfast.” Just as the younger generation is confused by old phrases like that, my grandparents would be confused by the phrase “Artificial Intelligence Girlfriend.” It is a confusing, messy situation that raises too many societal questions for us to address in this article. These are questions we need to begin thinking through and talking about with our actual fellow flesh-and-blood humans. What does it mean when you’re in a romantic relationship with a Large Language Model owned by a tech company?
AI has a lot of really amazing potential, and it is reshaping the world we live in every day. Many of these AI advancements are positive and beneficial. At the same time, we are social creatures that require community and connection. Our decision to start replacing human relationships and real human connections with this new developing technology should be heavily scrutinized. Overall, this does not seem like a good idea. I, along with many others, remain skeptical of the “AI girlfriend industry.” Even with this wide-reaching skepticism, there is a lot of money and customers pouring into this business. It doesn’t appear like this new industry will be slowing down anytime soon.
