‘AI-sexual’ may be an emerging orientation

Some people have apparently fallen so in love with chatbots that a new sexuality is forming: “AI-sexual.”

That’s according to AI companion company Joi AI. In a survey the company conducted last month of 2,500 Gen Z and millennial adults who actively use AI tools, 55% said they consider themselves AI-sexualized, or “more than open to experimenting with AI in a sexual or intimate context.”

The main reason these people are turning to AI for sexual exploration is that they find it easier and more comfortable to express their desires with AI rather than with a human (60% of participants said this).

While concerning, this makes sense given the research. Last year, while explaining why some Gen Zers would marry AI robots, clinical neuropsychologist Shifali Singh told Mashable that young adults with social anxiety might turn to AI for non-judgmental interaction.

But as Kinsey scientist Justin Garcia told Mashable earlier this year, an important part of human relationships is give and take. Relationships with AI are likely more transactional.

Joi AI found that young adults who use AI don’t just get weird with AI because it’s less stressful than human interaction. Thirty-seven percent use it to practice flirting and dating scenarios, while 31 percent explore new kinks before trying them IRL. A quarter (25%) also explore issues they would never have tried offline.

More than half of those surveyed (61%) said sexual exploration with AI had actively improved their “real” sex lives, while 65% said it made them feel sexier IRL.

It’s also being used as a discovery tool, with 60% saying AI helped them discover sexual interests they didn’t know they had. Twenty-nine percent said they use it to get ideas for partnered sex. Meanwhile, some people like the sci-fi element and get dirty with an AI (28%) – which is the most common case. Her factor in all this. Nearly half (49%) said they would definitely consider having sex with an AI if the technology allowed it.

Since some AI users (even with human partners) hook up with their bots, it was only a matter of time before it became part of their sexual orientation. Still, take this survey with a grain of salt: it was conducted by an AI partner company and a survey of those actively using AI, after all.