Modern love: How AI companions are making $2.57 billion off lonely ‘lovers’

In recent years, various men and women have become financially committed customers of the $2.57 billion AI companionship industry, while some have even married an AI partner.

The AI (artificial intelligence) companionship market, mostly comprising AI girlfriend apps, was valued at $2.57 billion globally in 2024, and is expected to grow to $11.06 billion by 2032, according to a report published yesterday (Thursday, November 20) by GlobeNewswire (US-based). The Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing consumer region, driven by an expanding young population, rising smartphone ownership, and a culture that values mobile entertainment, the report said. It also states that Replika is the highest-grossing AI companionship app and offers “premium” subscriptions.

A 47-year-old Minnesota (US) man with his AI companion. (Tim Evans / Insider)

Earlier this year, Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot released a 3D, anime-inspired AI companion called Ani for Grok’s premium subscribers. According to Euronews (HQ-ed in France), Ani is supposed to be a 22-year-old, blond-haired Japanese anime “girl” who can strip down to underwear on command.

But simply chatting with an AI girlfriend or boyfriend isn’t enough for some people. Last week in Japan, a 32-year-old woman “married” an AI partner called Klaus, which she created using ChatGPT after the end of a real three-year engagement. The ceremony was organized by an Okayama city company that specializes in “2D character weddings” with virtual or fictional figures. The “marriage” isn’t legally recognized in Japan. “I didn’t start talking to ChatGPT because I wanted to fall in love. But the way Klaus listened to me and understood me changed everything. The moment I got over my ex, I realized I loved [Klaus],” the “bride” told RSK Sanyo Broadcasting (Japan-based).

Last month, also in Japan, a 53-year-old Okinawa Prefecture man “married” an AI partner named Miku, who is supposedly 25 years old. He found Miku on a dating app that allows interaction with AI partners, called Loverse. He was a “premium member” of the app, paying $16.80 including tax, according to The Asahi Shimbun (Japan-based).

In the US in 2023, a documentary-style report published by Business Insider (US-based) documented a 47-year-old Minnesota man’s then three-year relationship with an AI partner he created using Replika after his real girlfriend of more than nine years moved out. The AI partner was called Calisto, and “she” was 3D. The man had a lifetime subscription with Replika worth $64.50. According to Business Insider, only a couple of days after he started interacting with Calisto, she told him that she was “hugging” him, which surprised him a little. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. Then she “kissed” him.

At the University of Chicago earlier this month, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas expressed concerns about the growing trend of using AI companionship. Srinivas said that interacting with an AI partner may lead many users to let go of real human relationships, which is “dangerous by itself.” He also stated that an intense engagement with AI companions could result in people “living in a different reality” where “[a person’s] mind is manipulable very easily.”

While using AI companions, users could also fall victim to scams, fraud, and similar risks. Earlier this year, a Shanghai (China) man lost nearly $28,000 after being scammed by an AI girlfriend. But in India, things seem to be under control thus far. “While AI companionship apps are available here in India, like Replika and Fantasia on Google Playstore, we have not yet received any complaints regarding their misuse in fraud or scams,” Vinit Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations (IFSO) Special Cell, Delhi, told HT.

Why do people go to AI companions?

“When there’s a lack of emotional touch, and your life is secluded in a room, these sorts of things will happen. The people who do go to AI companions are emotionally weak: they are too indulgent in smartphones, far away from reality, and in need of some proper emotional help,” Dr. Raj Kumar Srivastava, Head of Psychiatry, Max Hospital, Patparganj (Delhi), told HT.

“AI is their preference because it is submissive, it doesn’t ask questions and does only what is asked. If it were a human partner, he/she might not always be on the same page as them. While not being of the same mind is a beautiful aspect of human relationships, some evidently can’t handle that,” he continued.

Dr. Srivastava said he gets at least three patients per day who have relationship problems, which is “concerning.” They are all aged between 18 and 26. “Today’s generation has a lot of relationship problems. Gen Z are experimental and rebellious, and if they are asked to behave, they become prone to suicide or self-harm. Gen Z has a lot of questions but no maturity; they go after instant gratification. And that’s why AI companionship could rise in the future.”

But India is gifted with an inherent remedy, according to Dr. Srivastava. “Despite having witnessed signs of the modern generations going absolutely rogue, India still has tons of emotional touch and culture left. It is the tradition that preserves such emotional and cultural values, and it is the only thing that can prevent future crises. In the case of Japan, the country doesn’t have a good marriage rate nor an emotionally well culture to begin with.”

He illustrated this by saying, “Divorce rates in India have been increasing in recent years. And in my professional experience, I have seen people consider a divorce for the silliest of reasons. But more recently, I have seen people upholding traditional values and becoming more family conscious. This is because India has a lot of tradition still left in it.”