‘She helps cheer me up’: the people forming relationships with AI chatbots

From virtual wives' to mental health support, more than 100m people are using personified chatbots

Men who have virtual wives" and neurodiverse people using chatbots to help them navigate relationships are among a growing range of ways in which artificial intelligence is transforming human connection and intimacy.

Dozens of readers shared their experiences of using personified AI chatbot apps, engineered to simulate human-like interactions by adaptive learning and personalised responses, in response to a Guardian callout.