A new survey from Elon University reveals that AI chatbots are becoming confidants, advisors and even friends for a significant share of American internet users. Nearly a third of those forming social or emotional bonds call their AI companion a “friend.”
A growing number of Americans aren’t just using artificial intelligence to answer questions or draft emails. They’re leaning on it for comfort, advice and companionship. That’s the headline finding from a new report, “The Rise of AI Companions,” published by Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center on September 2, 2026.
According to the study, 27% of U.S. adult internet users report having significant emotional or social interactions with large language models such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Copilot. Researchers surveyed a representative sample of 1,000 of these self-identified “AI companion users” to understand how these relationships form and what role they play in people’s lives.
Confidants, Not Just Tools
The findings suggest that for many users, AI chatbots have crossed a threshold from utility to relationship. Nearly a third, 31%, said they consider their AI chatbot a friend, while another 15% described the relationship as “more complicated” than a simple friend-or-not distinction.
The emotional stakes appear real for many respondents. 59% agreed that AI gives them the support they need, and 53% said they turn to AI for advice on handling difficult interpersonal situations. Just over half, 51%, said talking to AI helps them feel better when stressed or upset, and 50% said they use AI to talk through personal problems or feelings. More strikingly, 39% admitted they occasionally tell AI things they wouldn’t tell other people, and 37% said they would feel a personal loss if they could no longer interact with AI.
Perceptions of understanding ran high too: 43% said AI understands them as a person, and 39% went further, saying AI understands them better than most people do.
From Boredom to Big Life Decisions
Companion use spans everything from casual small talk to major life decisions. Roughly 39% said they’d used AI simply to pass the time or keep company while doing something else, like driving or cooking. But the survey also found AI companions being consulted on far weightier matters. Two-thirds of respondents, 67%, had sought advice on health, fitness or lifestyle choices, while 41% had used AI to think through major financial decisions such as investments or big purchases. Career and education came up for 39% of users, and 31% had explored major family decisions, such as whether to have children or where to live. Legal matters drew in 30% of users, spiritual, religious or philosophical questions drew in 26%, and 11% had even used AI to help decide who or what to vote for in an election.
Romantic life came up too: 38% found their AI conversations helpful for navigating problems in romantic or sexual relationships, and 9% said they had used AI for sexual chat or roleplay.
Not a Replacement, Yet
Despite the depth of some of these interactions, the study suggests AI companionship isn’t displacing human relationships for most users. Asked whether they’d rather talk to their AI companion or to friends and family, 59% still chose people. Only 11% said they’d prefer AI conversation, while 27% said they valued both equally.
Still, the emotional weight of losing access to AI seems non-trivial. If cut off from talking to AI about personal matters, 24% said they would miss it a lot, and 40% said they would miss it somewhat, meaning nearly two-thirds would feel some sense of loss.
What It Means
“Futurists and cultural commentators have wondered what would happen once artificial systems became connected and companionable with humans,” said Lee Rainie, director of Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center, in a statement accompanying the report. He described the findings as an early look at relationships that are likely to become more common as AI agents become further embedded in daily life.
For the robotics and AI industry, the implications are significant. As conversational agents grow more capable and persistent, questions about emotional dependency, user well-being and the design responsibilities of AI developers are likely to move from the margins of the conversation to its center.
About the Study
The survey was a collaboration between Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center and the Elon University Poll, fielded online by YouGov. Between May 18 and 22, 2026, YouGov interviewed 4,268 U.S. internet-using adults aged 18 and older, screening for social and emotional AI use. The sample was matched down to 4,031 respondents to yield a target subsample of 1,000 AI companion users, matched to a sampling frame on gender, age, race and education.
