Key Points
- 72% of US teens have used AI companions
- 52% of US teens are regular users of AI companions
- Teens use AI companions for entertainment, curiosity, advice, and availability
- Half of teens don’t trust the information provided by AI companions
- 39% of teens use AI conversations as practice for real-life interactions
- 80% of teens who used AI companions spend more time with real friends than with their AI chatbots
Introduction to AI Companions
A new study by Common Sense Media, a U.S. nonprofit focused on the lives of kids and families, has found that a vast majority of U.S. teens (72%) have tried an AI companion at least once. By “companion,” the study is focused on AI chatbots that are designed for users to have more personal conversations with, not AI assistants that work as homework helpers, image generators, or voice assistants that just answer questions.
The idea of chatting with an AI seems to be appealing to U.S. teens (ages 13 to 17), the study found, as not only had nearly three-quarters tried an AI companion, 52% said they are regular users. Among those who engaged with these companions regularly, 13% chat with them daily and 21% chat a few times a week.
Purposes for Use
Teens said they use the AI companions for various purposes: entertainment (30% said this), curiosity about AI technology (28%), advice (18%), and because they’re always available (17%). Half of teens (50%) said they don’t trust the information provided by AI companions. However, older teens are less likely to trust the AI’s advice compared with younger teens, ages 13-14, at 20% and 27%, respectively.
Impact on Real-Life Relationships
One-third of the teens said they find the conversations more satisfying than those with real-life friends, though the majority (67%) felt the opposite way. Plus, 39% were using the AI conversations as practice for real-life interactions, as 39% said they applied skills they first tried with an AI to real-world situations. Among the skills practiced, social skills were the top use case, with 39% of teens having explored this area, followed by conversation starters (18%), giving advice (14%), and expressing emotions (13%).
In terms of whether or not real-life relationships will be replaced by tech, there was one positive finding: 80% of teens who used AI companions said they spend more time with real friends than with their AI chatbots. Only 6% said the reverse was true.
Source: techcrunch.com