UK: The Rise of AI Girlfriends Raises Concerns

British Teenagers and Their AI Girlfriends

A survey conducted by Male Allies UK highlights a growing trend among British teenagers: a preference for relationships with chatbots rather than with real people. According to this study, 85% of boys aged 12 to 16 have interacted with a chatbot, and more than a quarter prefer the attention of a conversational robot to that of a real person. This practice raises concerns among experts about the potential impact on the development of social skills.

Frictionless Relationships

In the UK, virtual girlfriends are increasingly appealing to young people. The survey reveals that 20% of boys know a peer who is "dating" a chatbot. Furthermore, 58% of the 1,000 teenagers surveyed find these relationships easier to manage, as they allow for controlling the conversation and avoiding conflicts. Experts fear that a generation more skilled at charming chatbots than interacting with humans may be emerging.

Social Skills at Risk

Experts, such as Pierluigi Casale from the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT), warn that these interactions could replace the learning of essential human relationship skills, such as negotiation, empathy, and handling rejection. Casale emphasizes:

“Authentic relationships teach negotiation, empathy, rejection, compromise, and social ease. The company of AI can mimic intimacy while significantly reducing friction.”

A Potential Professional Advantage

However, Raoul V. Kübler, a professor at ESSEC Business School, offers a different perspective. He suggests that this familiarity with AIs could become a professional asset. Kübler adds:

“In this sense, dating an AI could turn out to be surprisingly effective professional preparation.”

Thus, the question remains: will the skills developed in these virtual relationships be sufficient to face the challenges of real human interactions?