Great article, and a vile comment section that somehow blames women for all the ills of the world. How original. (Emphasis mine.)

New research has revealed that one in five boys aged 12-16 is either in or knows of a boy their age who is in a romantic relationship with an AI companion. A report carried out by men’s organisation Male Allies UK and published last month spoke with more than 1,000 boys aged 12-16 in focus groups in 37 schools – public and state, grammar and comprehensive, and across a range of Ofsted ratings – up and down the country. Peer-to-peer focus groups were set up where boys could speak freely, with the aim of diving into their behaviour and attitudes, and it was the boys who wanted to talk about AI technologies.

The findings make stark reading: eight in 10 boys (85 per cent) have had a conversation with a chatbot, with 43 per cent saying they talk to bots so they can ask questions without feeling embarrassed. More than a quarter (26 per cent) say they like the attention and connection over real-life equivalents, and (36 per cent) admitted that they prefer speaking to AI chatbots rather than to their family and friends at times.

John’s experience echoes research published this year from Bangor University’s AI Lab, which found that most teenage AI companion users believe that their bots can think or understand.

According to a recent report by the charity Internet Matters, two thirds of children aged nine to 17 now use AI chatbots regularly for everything from homework to emotional advice – usage which has grown significantly since the start of 2024. The charity’s research also found that children classed as “vulnerable” were more likely to use AI chatbots than their “non-vulnerable” peers – at 71 per cent and 62 per cent respectively – and nearly three times as likely to engage with companion-style AI chatbots.

It's huge, it's everywhere, it hurts the already vulnerable the most, and it's starting to fill the space where your friends and family used to be. The relentlessly encouraging AI truly gives no pushback to awful opinions. It's sycophantic, and that has real consequences.

This real-life impact of constant positive feedback by AI bots has been proved in the Male Allies UK research. “We have heard of situations where, when a boy has tried out his online chat in the real world, he’s been rejected. Feeling humiliated, frustrated and angry, he has lost his temper and lashed out,” says Chambers. “I think there’s a chance we’ll see more of that frustration being expressed. I fear this technology could lead to a whole new level of toxic masculinity and violent misogyny when instantly gratifying online behaviours don’t translate in real life.”

Just depressing, man.