TL;DR
Searches for “AI girlfriend” on Google grew 2,400% in recent years, meaning the need for AI companions is rising. Meanwhile, numerous new AI companion apps are being released, often focusing on NSFW content.
AI companions affect almost everybody, but they’re particularly important for lonely men, content creators, AI developers, and women. Females are generally the victims of AI porn, with some studies stating that 100% of Deepfake videos star females.
AI companions can help curb loneliness but are associated with risks such as porn addiction. Additionally, the overall AI-generative porn industry created Deepfakes. In recent years, Deepfake fraud rose by a whopping 1,740%.
Are AI Companions Really on the Rise?
It’s easy to say that AI companions are on the rise, but can I prove it? I decided to crunch the numbers and discovered that “AI girlfriend” searches on Google rose by 2,400%, with monthly searches for AI relationship bots going over 73,000.
At the same time, a growing trend of new AI companionship services is being released, showing that the market is meeting the high demand of the public. For example, the AI friend bot Anima allows you to customize and chat with a virtual AI character who is supportive, flirty, and can even play games.
All things considered, the rising AI companionship trend we’re experiencing today is far, far from fiction.
The Inevitable Crossover Between AI Companions & AI Porn
According to the Oxford Languages dictionary, “companion” refers to “a person or animal with whom one spends a lot of time or with whom one travels.” As expected, it has absolutely nothing to do with sex.
However, there’s an undeniable crossover between AI companions and erotism. Companionship, even when virtual, creates intimacy, which naturally drives sexual desire. This line is just too thin not to be crossed, and that may help to explain why virtually all AI girlfriend apps on the web combine companionship with… Porn.
Studies show that while 38.8% of all AI tools are SFW, a majority of 61.2% are NSFW. Considering that these numbers include AI apps such as image generators and face swappers (not just AI companions), it’s easy to see why so many developers make their AI chatbots sassy, sexy, and explicit.
Like it or not, porn is at the center of the Internet. After all, porn drives 13 to 20% of all web searches and makes up 4% of all sites. Its role in the present and future of AI is equally important, and that’s why it’s impossible to discuss AI companionship without talking about AI porn.
Who’s Affected?
There’s no denying it: next time you need an AI chatbot, you will probably end up relying on the services of AI porn developers—that’s where the motivation to drive the industry comes from!
But considering the links between AI chatbots and porn, who are the people most affected by the rise of AI companions? I have identified four crucial groups:
1. Company Seekers
According to Digital Humans, 73% of people have confessed to experiencing loneliness. The scourge is particularly prevalent among older men, affecting one-third of all males 45 or older. In sum, there are many company seekers out there, and it’s safe to assume that many of them will try to find solace in AI companions.
Company seekers are significantly affected by AI companions because they will be the ones buying into them—the main consumers. While many can reap positive effects by using AI companions, others may struggle with associated risks like porn addiction.
2. Content Creators
Most AI companions aren’t just AI chatbots. DreamGF, for example, includes a powerful AI image generator. AI tools like image generators can be leveraged by content creators, contributing positively to their day-to-day professional lives.
Imagine that you’re a top OnlyFans girl in need of some original content. With AI image generators such as PornX, you can input a picture of your face and generate thousands of explicit NSFW pictures of yourself without ever leaving the house. It’s no wonder that 73% of workers use AI every week and 90% believe it improves productivity.
3. AI Developers
In the next 10 years, generative AI is expected to grow into a $1.3 trillion market, proving to be one of the most profitable and rapid-rising industries of the 21st century. AI companions won’t make up for the entire market, but they will surely make up for a good chunk of that money.
In the end, developers are the real stakeholders of AI companions, as the need for generative AI tools will affect their job availability, funding, and overall resources.
4. Women
Deepfakes are images and videos that were manipulated using AI to showcase real people. Many AI companion services feature generative AI tools like face swappers, which can be used to create Deepfakes.
With SoulGen, for example, anyone can switch a pornstar’s head for the head of their next-door neighbor. In theory, Deepfakes can be great! But sadly, many people used it for nothing but bad reasons…
Women are among the four groups most affected by AI companions simply because they’re the main victims of its collateral effects. Some studies go as far as stating that women are the only victims of AI companions, with females making up 100% of all Deepfake videos.
The Benefits of AI Companions (According to AI)
I decided to ask the world’s most popular AI about the benefits of AI companions, and I was surprised by the reply. ChatGPT makes a solid case in favor of these tools, highlighting their ability to provide emotional support, accessibility, and even health monitoring. In sum, unconditional companionship.
But can AI companions do more than help us curb loneliness? For sure! AI companions can, for example, be used as a training ground for perfecting flirting skills. Considering that only 3 in 10 Americans use dating apps and that 63% of young American men are single, AI companion apps sure could be put to good use in the United States.
In addition to emotional support and skill enhancement, AI companions can also benefit people by being… Fun. Some of them also double as AI porn chats, meaning they can be used for sexual relief.
Can AI Companions Truly Help Lonely People?
According to the HHS, loneliness can be as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes per day! This means that AI companions can indeed be lifesaving—as long as they truly help lonely people…
I guess the truth is that AI companions can at the very least help some lonely people. According to a scientific research article studying the role of AI companions and disembodied social presence, AI companions can be perceived as “useful for lonely individuals.” The same study concluded that spending some time with an AI friend “increases one’s willingness to recommend it to [other] lonely individuals.”
The Risks of AI Companions
I have already mentioned some of the risks of AI companions, such as porn addiction. However, the big dangerous word in the AI companionship universe is the word “Deepfake.” Between 2021 and 2023, the number of Deepfakes on the web rose from 15k to 96k.
Deepfakes are prevalent in AI porn (96% of all Deepfake videos are porn) and can be linked to many of the most popular AI companion apps. AI girlfriend services such as FantasyGF, for example, double as AI undress apps that can be inadvertently used for producing Deepfakes (regardless of what’s stated in their Terms of Service).
Deepfakes are the crucial collateral risk of AI companions, and they’re no laughing matter. In the United States, Deepfake fraud rose by 1,740%, with 88% of frauds affecting the Crypto industry. In some cases, Deepfake fraud caused losses of up to $243k. The victims aren’t fools either, with research showing that only 57% of people believe they’re capable of distinguishing a real video from a Deepfake.
In the end, this inability to distinguish between what’s real and what’s not turns out to be the major risk of AI companions. As AI chatbots get more and more advanced, who’s to say people will still be able to tell the difference between an AI girlfriend and a real girlfriend?
Myths & Facts Surrounding AI Companions
This is a fact-based take on AI companions, so I couldn’t round it up without mentioning two myths and facts people keep getting wrong.
Myth: AI Companions are a Fad
No, AI companions are not a fad. Unless, of course, you think AI itself is a fad… According to Human or AI, searches for “AI image generator” generated 7.7 million in traffic, with searches for “AI Undress” generating 6.6 million in traffic.
Face editor apps, on the other hand, were downloaded more than 500 million times.
These are pretty recent numbers, and they show that AI companions aren’t going anywhere. Generative AI is getting better and better too, as the average AI photo/video takes just 35 seconds to be created. Pokémon GO and Harlem Shake are certainly fads. AI companions? Not by any stretch of the imagination.
Myth: AI Companions Isolate Men Even Further
Many people believe that, by interacting with an AI companion, lonely men can isolate themselves further. After finding support online, they can find even less need to meet new people, connect with their family, or go on dates. However, science shows this is nothing but a myth.
According to real data presented in a brilliant The Guardian piece, 92% of the men surveyed had no issues communicating with real people after using an AI girlfriend app. These numbers directly contradict the notion that spending time with AI companions would shield a significant percentage of the population from the “real world.”
Fact: There’s a Gender Issue in AI Porn
By now, you may have realized that I often mention men as the consumers of AI porn and women as the stars and victims of AI porn. This is intentional, because, unfortunately, there is still a gender issue in AI porn.
Surveys show that while 91.5% of men watch pornography, only 60.2% of women do so. For that reason, AI porn (as well as most mainstream porn) is often created with the male gaze in mind.
As someone who’s reviewed the best AI nude generators, I experienced this firsthand when trying to generate AI pictures of naked men. Spoiler alert? They were pretty bad compared to the ones featuring women…
Fact: The Main Victims of AI Porn Are Celebrities
There are many dark sides to AI porn, but revenge porn (fueled by Deepfakes) is perhaps the darkest. Your girlfriend broke up with you? Just make a Deepfake of her rimming a horse! While this risk is real and not unfounded, data shows that normal people like you and me don’t need to worry too much about generative AI porn just yet.
The reason why Taylor Swift worries so much about Deepfakes is that 99% of females targeted in these videos are artists and musicians; in other words, celebrities! On the other hand, 71% of people don’t even know what a Deepfake is, meaning that the number of people actually making Deepfake content is smaller than assumed.
Attention: I’m not trying to minimize the risks of AI companions and porn for non-celebrities here! All I’m saying is that the numbers show that, up until now, AI tools have been used for generating celebrity nudes in the overwhelming vast majority of cases.
Where Can I Find AI Companions?
From helping lonely men to being at the center of millionaire scams, AI companions and the AI tools we associate with them are not simple. Like modern-day AI chatbots themselves, they are tridimensional characters, with nuances, qualities, and dark places.
Now that you are aware of the benefits and risks of AI companions, as well as their impact on overall society, it’s time to put some AI girlfriend apps to the test to see what the buzz is all about. Candy AI is a great app for newbies, so give it a go!
The Rise of AI Companions (FAQ)
What is an AI companion?
An AI companion is a virtual entity powered by artificial intelligence algorithms that can simulate human-like conversation and perform tasks based on user input.
What can an AI companion do for me?
AI companions can help you feel less isolated, grant you a few hours of fun, and even be used for NSFW purposes. They’re a virtual friend who wants to make you happy no matter what!
How do I interact with an AI companion?
The easiest way to interact with an AI companion is to use AI girlfriend apps like Candy AI, FantasyGF, and DreamGF.
Can I personalize my AI companion?
Yes! Apps like FantasyGF, Seduced AI, and Candy AI let you choose the physical and psychological attributes of your AI companion.
Are AI companion apps safe?
Developers of AI companions prioritize user privacy and data security by implementing measures such as encryption, anonymization, and user consent mechanisms that safeguard personal information.
Carolina Rodrigues
From Brazil to the US, ex-model Carolina Rodrigues turns OnlyFans expertise into Tity investigative articles, loves AI, gaming, and films.
