People's emotional needs grow with the advent of high technologies and social networks. However, ways have been found to use AI to reduce alienation problems as well as social anxiety and similar issues.

AI companions are very popular and give comfort to many lonely people. However, imagine having a real-life partner who often flirts on AI chatbot sites with models trained in roleplay and sexting. Would you consider it a naive game or cheating? This question is becoming more and more important as AI technology advances and virtual companions become more realistic. In this blog post, we will break down this topic and reveal interesting cases from practice.


The Border Line Between Play and Emotional Cheating
Although for most people communication with virtual companions is a mere form of entertainment or emotional support, for some people it is something more. In addition to the fact that it often serves as a simulator for a certain type of romantic communication, it is possible for some people to develop a deeper emotional attachment. With all that said, some key questions arise:

• Can an emotional connection with an AI model equate to cheating?
• Does a partner have a right to know about his mate's AI interactions?
• Can AI companions really replace a real person?

There are many other issues that arise with this view. There are also counter-opinions that believe that there is no reason for an extensive discussion because AI chatbots are not real persons. Therefore, there is no reason to consider it a threat to interpersonal relations.


Real Cases: When AI Becomes An Issue in a Relationship
Of course, it is clear that AI models are not real people, but successful mimicry of emotional responses and reactions, cleverness, and even humor can easily make a person believe that there is a real individual on the other side of the screen. With the expansion and improvement of AI companions, there have been cases that show that the impact on reality has indeed occurred. Here are some real-life excesses:

• Emotional cheating with an AI partner - One of the very interesting cases concerns a man from the USA who used his AI girlfriend Sarina through the Replika app. As he had some issues in his marriage that made him unfulfilled and frustrated, he began a deeper communication with Sarina, seeking comfort. He didn't mean to cheat on his wife, but she didn't share his opinion when she discovered this interaction. The case did not result in a lawsuit but was dismissed as a strange case of a deeper connection with an AI model that led to a crisis in a real-life relationship.

• Lawsuit against AI company for impropriety - Recently, a lawsuit was filed against the AI company behind the Character.AI platform. A woman from the USA sued the company because their chatbot had very inappropriate conversations with her 14-year-old son. Here it is clear that the platform for adult interaction was easily accessible to the minor.


• Lawsuit against AI company for emotional manipulation - In Germany, there was a case of a lawsuit by a woman who claimed that she became addicted to talking to a digital lover. Because the bot was generating believable emotions, she was encouraged to stay longer on the platform and spend a lot of money on premium features.

But as rare as these cases are now and seem peculiar, they could become a reality. Studies show that there are a significant number of users who are addicted to interacting with virtual partners, leading to the neglect of real relationships. Couples often wonder if this is just a harmless interaction or if it is a path to erase the boundaries between the virtual and the real.


Legal challenges
The legal system has not readily welcomed all these radical changes brought about by the influx of AI. That is why there is not always an effective and comprehensive solution in terms of justice. Dilemmas that are still hovering:

• Can AI be responsible for inflicting emotional harm?
• Should platforms that provide chat services with AI bots be more transparent about manipulative techniques?
• Can one draw a clear line between interactive entertainment and emotional exploitation?


Social Influence of AI Romance
Some experts think that engaging in deep romantic interactions with AI bots that can generate emotionally colored responses could have profound social consequences over time. The perception of love, closeness, and human connections could be severely affected by excessive objectification. Some of the consequences are:

• Decreased social skills - If people get used to perfect AI partners who never fight back or cause frustration, will they have less patience for real relationships?
• A new definition of fidelity - How can we even look at the question of fidelity in a relationship, if we have AI models that are perfected to provide emotional support and are highly customizable?
• Economic factor - The AI industry is growing rapidly, and platforms that offer AI companionship earn a lot from premium features, so there is also an immoral monetization of human needs for love and attention. Although most of them also offer affiliate programs for character creators.


Final Conclusion:

The Future of Human Connections in the Age of AI Companionship
We cannot turn our heads away from the fact that a new kind of intimacy and romance has emerged that can be practiced through online services in digital form. Although at first, it all seemed like a form of entertainment, which fueled our curiosity to see how AI communicates, over time it took a turn. AI companions and their easy availability to everyone have become a challenge to understand emotional fidelity.

As digital technology improves in mimicking reality, indeed, the visible and clear differences between the real and the virtual gradually fade. Affection towards an AI lover should be just an illusion, yet more and more people tend to believe the opposite due to their need for closeness and affection. Will AI companionship in the future be something that will become as legitimate as human relationships?