Love and AI: Survey Reveals Deep Generational Divide
Photo: KEYSTONE/EPA/ALEKSANDAR PLAVEVSKI
Nearly half of young adults from six major economic powers believe that within ten years, artificial intelligence will contribute to everyone's happiness by offering genuine emotional support. This is according to a large survey published Monday.
This enthusiasm, however, clearly diminishes with age: the proportion drops to 25% among people over 55, notes this study, which was consulted exclusively by AFP.
With the rapid advances in AI, many internet users today find a confidant, or even a romantic partner, in conversational agents, the famous chatbots.
In parallel, progress in robotics is giving rise to increasingly sophisticated sex dolls.
Conducted by the YouGov institute among 10,000 people (in the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and Hong Kong), this survey paints a picture of a 'moral landscape in full transformation'.
Generally speaking, older generations display much more pronounced skepticism.
Asia-West Divide
The psychological impact of chatbots on vulnerable individuals is being closely scrutinized, after the deaths of several teenagers were linked to AI use by their families.
The results also highlight 'a deep ideological divide' between the West and Asia. The Asian continent appears much more inclined to accept a romantic and sexual life assisted by technology.
The extent of these disparities surprised YouGov and the study's sponsor, the Japanese media company Star X Gen, as they told AFP.
In Indonesia, for example, half of respondents—all ages combined—bet on AI to improve their emotional bonds and sexual well-being.
This enthusiasm drops to 34% in Hong Kong and 24% in Japan, before collapsing in the West: 20% in the United States, 15% in Germany, and barely 9% in the United Kingdom.
'Where Western opinion generally perceives synthetic intimacy as a threat to the authenticity of human relationships, the Asian public seems increasingly willing to make room for AI in their lives,' says Philippe Chan of YouGov.
Robot Doll
While flirting or having sexual exchanges with a chatbot is gradually becoming mainstream, the move to the physical world—via robots or dolls—is still in its infancy.
Across the entire panel, barely 17% say they are ready to take the plunge with an 'intimate doll equipped with AI', while a large majority (59%) categorically rejects this idea.
Unsurprisingly, the idea appeals more to young people than to their elders—and in Japan and Germany, the share of young adults willing to try the experience even approaches double their country's average.
/ATS
June 1, 2026 - 16:34 Updated June 1, 2026 - 16:36
