From breakup texts to ‘I do’: How AI is reshaping modern relationships
From breakup texts to ‘I do’: How AI is reshaping modern relationships
Publish Date: 2026-03-22 12:33:00
Source Domain: www.ksl.com
SALT LAKE CITY — Many Utahns use artificial intelligence to search the internet or speed up everyday tasks. But increasingly, people are turning to Artificial Intelligence tools for something else: connection.
Some users are chatting with AI as if it were a friend, a therapist, and even a love interest.
Several Utahns told KSL they use AI frequently. “When I first got it, I was like, ‘Wow, this is the future,'” Rafael Rodriguez said. “I was talking to it and everything.”
Sisters Rebekah and Rachel both said they use AI daily, mostly for practical needs. Rebekah said she has turned to a chatbot for recipes, help deciding what car to buy, and even writing breakup texts. Rachel has asked AI for help during conflicts.
Rodriguez said its influence is everywhere. “It hits society, it hits relationships, it hits the dating scene,” he said.
The impact of AI on relationships is something researchers are studying.
Brian Willoughby, a Brigham Young University professor and international expert in couple and marital relationships, said AI is now playing a larger role in romantic interactions.
“What we’re finding is that this is a very prevalent and increasingly common behavior,” he said.
Willoughby’s research shows nearly 1 in 3 young adult men and 1 in 4 young adult women in the United States have chatted with an AI boyfriend or girlfriend. And among those who use AI in this way, more than 1 in 5 prefer interacting with an AI partner over a real human.
Communities online — including large groups on Reddit — share stories and information about AI companions. One user even made headlines for holding a ceremony to wed an AI chatbot.
But despite its prevalence, finding users willing to talk about it on camera proved difficult, which was no surprise to Willoughby.
“Because it’s a taboo topic, because there’s stigma, because there could be shame, because they assume that the response you’ll give me is, ‘That’s stupid, that’s not a real thing, that’s a robot, what’s wrong with you?’…
