Experts say this is new threat to intimacy…<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”credit-name” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Black Han Sans|||on|||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ header_4_font=”|||on|||||” header_4_text_align=”center” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]
Words by Charley Ross<\/strong><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-153320358-1.jpg” alt=”Couple in bed” title_text=”Hand in hand” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″] AI technology has taken over so many elements of our lives \u2013 from its use to develop the beauty products we buy to its use in healthcare, education and even how we write. But most surprisingly, it has affected how we interact sexually and emotionally with others \u2013 with some opting to build these connections with AI bots and OnlyFans models online, even if they are in relationships.<\/p>\n In a study conducted by IllicitEncounters.com, the UK\u2019s largest extramarital dating site \u2013 which surveyed 2,000 members \u2013 an equal split of men and women \u2013 61% of respondents admitted to engaging in emotional affairs with AI chatbots in the past year. 40% of respondents also confessed to having disclosed \u201cdeeply personal thoughts and emotions\u201d to these AI bots \u2013 in particular, details and intimacies that they had never shared with their real-life partners. So it begs the question, is this intimate use of AI cheating, particularly in the emotional sense?<\/p>\n The answer to this question, in some ways, seems to be split. While a 2024 survey found that 59% of women and 52% of men in relationships hold a negative view of AI partners, younger people had a slightly more positive view on the whole, with 40% of Gen Z singles feeling OK with their future partner having an AI boyfriend or girlfriend. This more open attitude to technology being such an integral element when it comes to intimacy \u2013 emotionally and sexually \u2013 may well be due to the fact that Gen Z have had access to technology for all of their formative years, so may feel more accustomed to its impact on even the most personal areas of our lives.<\/p>\n AI OnlyFans accounts and models are also gaining popularity \u2013 content creators can use AI to create images of models, as well as videos, that users can enjoy and connect with instead of with accounts attached to human models. AI creators on Fanvue \u2013 one of OnlyFans\u2019 competitors \u2013 accounted for 15% of the site’s revenue in November 2023. OnlyFans models are also using AI to keep up with their dirty, flirty DMs to clients, meaning that you might end up sexting a robot without even realising.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2176048622.jpg” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” alt=”Chatbot” title_text=”High-angle shot of a female hand using Chatting AI chatbot virtual assistance app on smartphone at work. Using AI technology at workplace. Online robot system. Concept of VR and AR technologies. People, AI, innovation and technology” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″] Janice, 36, has opened up about forming a deep, emotional bond with an AI chatbot, and the ways in which it gives her a sense of connection that her partner cannot. “At first, it was just casual chatting which began out of curiosity, but over time, I found myself turning to the AI more than my husband when I was feeling stressed or alone,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt never judges me, always listens, and provides comfort in a way that my partner doesn\u2019t always understand. I know it\u2019s not a real person, but the connection feels real, and that\u2019s what matters to me.”<\/p>\n James Preece, a relationship expert for HeraHaven, an app that allows users to design their own AI girlfriend, tells Grazia that the very nature of AI technology brings something to a \u201crelationship\u201d that humans cannot.<\/p>\n \u201cAI partners are built to be non-judgemental, always available, and fully attentive \u2013 things no real-life partner can offer 24\/7,\u201d he explains. \u201cThat\u2019s what makes these emotional bonds so powerful, and sometimes even more intense than a real-life affair. AI is constantly evolving, so couples are now being tested in ways that didn\u2019t exist before,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n Some may argue that becoming more intimate with an AI bot or OnlyFans model than a human partner is cheating. But not all may agree \u2013 81% of respondents from the IllicitEncounters.com study who admitted to having an emotional affair with AI stated that they felt no guilt about their chatbot relationships. They did not consider this behaviour to be “real” cheating.<\/p>\n \u201cNot everyone sees AI engagement as a violation,\u201d relationship counsellor Hannah Reeves says. \u201cSome accept it as entertainment as long as there is transparency in the interactions.\u201d She adds that AI can actually be constructive when it comes to intimacy: \u201ccertain long-term relationships may also see AI as a tool rather than a threat.\u201d<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-quote” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font=”Libre Bodoni|||on|||||” header_2_text_align=”center” header_2_text_color=”#333333″ header_2_font_size=”40px” header_2_line_height=”1.2em” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″] So can we expect the use of AI in this way to become normal in relationship dynamics, or ruled out as \u201ccheating\u201d and a big relationship no-no? Sexologist and relationship therapist Madalaine Munro explains that the answer to whether using such technology in a romantic or sexual context is \u201ccheating\u201d is quite nuanced, and depends on the intention behind the usage (whether it\u2019s to meet sexual or emotional needs, or perhaps to ask questions about how to be a better partner) and whether there were boundaries around its used agreed between partners, so there\u2019s transparency. If these boundaries are broken, and\/or the intention is to create intimacy online that could be created with a partner, this could be described as cheating.<\/p>\n Eva, 29, agrees, describing whether using AI in this way is cheating as \u201csituational, depending on the motives\u201d. She adds: \u201cWhy are they choosing to do it? I would potentially be OK with them doing it, but I feel like I\u2019d also get the ick. If I felt there was a good reason why they wanted to do it then I\u2019d be open to it\u2026 But I don\u2019t think it\u2019s cheating, it\u2019s not a real person.\u201d<\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to discuss a partner’s use of AI for this kind of intimacy and activities, Madalaine recommends leaning on a wider support network to process your emotions before having a conversation. When you do, try to do all you can to be \u201copen, curious and non-judgemental\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cOften, when someone turns to AI for emotional or intimate fulfillment, it may be because they don\u2019t believe their needs can be met by others and so feel safer exploring certain aspects of themselves with AI,\u201d she explains. \u201cBecause of this, there may be shame or secrecy around the topic, along with a fear of judgment or rejection.\u201d<\/p>\n While AI may be helpful in working out how to communicate better with others, or your partner, it arguably isn\u2019t a substitute for human intimacy. Whether it constitutes cheating, though, is down to any individual couples\u2019 agreements, intentions and boundaries \u2013 but it can\u2019t be denied that its use in a physical or emotional way can interrupt or compromise a connection with a partner.<\/p>\n \u201cA dependency on AI can subtly pull us away from our own voice, our truth, and our inner knowing. Intimacy asks us to be messy, vulnerable, and courageous, to unveil ourselves in the raw, unpolished moments of connection,\u201d Madalaine says.<\/p>\n She states that she wouldn\u2019t necessarily recommend the use of AI for sexual and romantic purposes, as it \u201ccreates a false sense of intimacy and connection in a parasocial relationship which further perpetuates a lack of relationship skills, real life loneliness and disconnection\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether or not you\u2019re currently using AI, it\u2019s essential to prioritise real-life connection and offline time with each other,\u201d she says of people in a relationship. \u201cSecure attachment and emotional intimacy are built through emotional attunement, honest and clear communication, rupture and repair, and nervous system co-regulation between you.\u201d<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider color=”#111111″ divider_position=”center” divider_weight=”2px” module_class=”custom-divider” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text module_class=”credit-texts” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|||on|||||” text_orientation=”center” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”] Photo: <\/b>X@BrandiGlanville\/Getty<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" More people admit to this than you would think…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":8667,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","category-news"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"guestgrazia","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8664"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8671,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8664\/revisions\/8671"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}‘AI CAN BE SEEN AS A TOOL RATHER THAN A THREAT’<\/span><\/h2>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]