Over 50% of Americans aged 35 to 44, and 20% of Americans overall, have flirted with a chatbot. Chatbots have become, not just sources of information, but sources of companionship.
That’s the finding from a new survey by global communications platform Infobip.
Dig deeper: Increasing email click-throughs: Best of the MarTechBot
Who do you love? More than 18% of Americans, according to Infobip’s data, have formed friendships, or even long-term relationships, with AI-powered bots.
“Chatbot Besties” — regular chats and ongoing bonds — account for more than 10% of that sample, while more casual “Chatbot Acquaintances” form almost 20%.
Why do fools…? What could the reasons be for flirting with an algorithm?
- Curiosity. What will happen if I flirt (47.2%).
- Loneliness. Some just need some attention (23.9%).
- Confusion. Quite a few just don’t realize it’s a bot (16.7%).
- Sex. Yes, some just want a sexual conversation in private (12.2%).
Why we care. It’s been clear for years that sex is one of the things people think the Internet is for. Recent developments suggest that it’s one of the things AI will be used for, although the recent stories relate to images rather than chatbots (that link is SFW, by the way).
But it’s the loneliness stat that makes us sad. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Take the MarTech Salary and Career Survey
From AI to layoffs, it’s been quite a year. How has it been for you? Please take our short survey so we can tell you the state of martech salaries and careers.
Get MarTech! Daily. Free. In your inbox.
About the author
Kim Davis is currently editor at large at MarTech. Born in London, but a New Yorker for almost three decades, Kim started covering enterprise software ten years ago. His experience encompasses SaaS for the enterprise, digital- ad data-driven urban planning, and applications of SaaS, digital technology, and data in the marketing space. He first wrote about marketing technology as editor of Haymarket’s The Hub, a dedicated marketing tech website, which subsequently became a channel on the established direct marketing brand DMN. Kim joined DMN proper in 2016, as a senior editor, becoming Executive Editor, then Editor-in-Chief a position he held until January 2020. Shortly thereafter he joined Third Door Media as Editorial Director at MarTech.
Kim was Associate Editor at a New York Times hyper-local news site, The Local: East Village, and has previously worked as an editor of an academic publication, and as a music journalist. He has written hundreds of New York restaurant reviews for a personal blog, and has been an occasional guest contributor to Eater.
