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Are AI Companions Becoming More Popular? What the Surveys Show

Surveys point to substantial social and companion-style AI use in the U.S., but different populations and definitions make the trend hard to measure with one number.
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Yes—but the evidence points to growing use of AI for social and emotional interaction, not a single, directly comparable surge in dedicated companion apps. Surveys find substantial use among U.S. adults and teens, while their definitions differ: some count character-based companions, others general-purpose chatbots used socially.

What counts as an AI companion?

An AI companion may be a purpose-built app designed around a character or relationship, or a general-purpose chatbot used for friendship, emotional support, role-play, or personal conversation. Those uses overlap, but the figures for them cannot be treated as the same measure of companion-app adoption.

That distinction matters when interpreting the latest surveys. A person who has ever tried a character chatbot is counted differently from an adult who says they have interacted socially with a general-purpose large language model (LLM), and both differ from someone who names companionship as a chatbot use.

What do the surveys say about use?

Adults report social interaction with general-purpose AI

A representative sample of 1,000 U.S. adults surveyed in May 2026 found that 27% of internet-using adults had social interactions with LLMs such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Copilot, according to the Imagining the Digital Future Center and Elon University Poll. This measures social use of general-purpose tools, not adoption of companion-only apps.

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Many surveyed teens had tried AI companions

Common Sense Media surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,060 U.S. teens aged 13–17 in April and May 2025. It found 72% had used AI companions at least once, 52% used them at least a few times per month, and 13% used them daily. The report included purpose-built digital companions and fictional-character role-play, while noting general chatbots can also be used as companions. It also found that 33% used companions for social interaction and relationships, including role-play, friendship, conversation practice, romantic interaction, or emotional support (Common Sense Media).

General chatbot adoption is not companion adoption

Pew Research Center’s survey of 5,119 U.S. adults, fielded February 17–23, 2026, found 49% had ever used AI chatbots, compared with 33% in its 2024 measure. The earlier question was asked only of adults who had heard at least a little about chatbots, so the two figures should not be read as a clean like-for-like measure of growth. In the 2026 survey, 4% cited companionship as a chatbot use, compared with 10% who cited emotional support or advice, 25% entertainment, and 42% information search; 38% of employed adults reported work tasks (Pew Research Center). The 4% is a general-chatbot figure, not the share using dedicated companion apps.

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Why do people turn to AI companions?

In the 2026 Imagining the Digital Future Center and Elon University Poll, among AI companion users, 31% said they considered their chatbot a friend, 51% said talking to AI helped them feel better when stressed or upset, and 50% said they used AI to talk through personal problems or feelings. These are self-reported experiences and motivations, not evidence that an AI provides effective mental-health care.

The same report found 59% of users agreed AI gives them the support they need, 43% agreed AI understands them as a person, 39% occasionally told AI things they would not tell other people, 36% reported an emotional connection to at least one AI tool or chatbot, and 38% said they would feel a personal loss if they could no longer interact with AI. These answers describe users’ perceptions; they do not establish human-equivalent understanding or independently measured benefit.

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Do these studies prove that AI companions are growing more popular?

They support a qualified yes: use is substantial in the populations and categories measured, and Pew’s broad measure of ever using AI chatbots is higher in 2026 than its 2024 measure. But the available figures do not establish a single growth rate for dedicated AI companion apps. The surveys cover different populations, dates, and definitions, and the adult social-interaction figure is not directly comparable with the teen trial figure or Pew’s general-chatbot measures.

A policy briefing from the European Parliamentary Research Service describes the spread of AI companion platforms and the challenges they generate, citing Character.AI and Replika as examples. It is useful context on the policy debate, not a substitute for comparable adoption data (European Parliamentary Research Service, May 19, 2026).

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What is known about wellbeing and safety?

Wellbeing findings are not proof of cause and effect

A peer-reviewed Nature Human Behaviour study published August 4, 2026 examined U.S. Character.AI users. Its self-report component involved 1,131 users, and the researchers also analyzed a donated sample of chat sessions. The authors reported that associations between interaction and psychological wellbeing varied with users’ offline social environments, interaction intensity, and self-disclosure. Because the study is observational, it does not show that AI companionship caused changes in wellbeing, and its findings should not be generalized to every platform or user (Zhang, Zhao, Hancock and colleagues).

Teen guidance is an organizational recommendation, not a law

Common Sense Media’s 2025 report describes safety risks and recommends that no one under 18 use AI companions. That is the organization’s recommendation, not a universal legal rule. The report’s findings concern surveyed U.S. teens aged 13–17 and its stated companion definition.

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Public concern extends beyond companionship

In Pew’s 2026 survey, 63% of U.S. adults thought AI was advancing too quickly, and 71% thought increased AI use would make personal information less secure. These are views about AI broadly, not companion-specific risk estimates.

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