AI Romance & Family Law

 

Family Law is all about domestic relationships, right? Parents, children, siblings, spouses – those relationships that matter so much to you and me and those we love.  But something different is happening… according to a recent survey of people ages 12-43, 1 out of every 4 of them think they might prefer an artificial relationship.

It is beginning to become apparent that Millennials and Gen Zers are very much drawn to the notion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) sexual relationships in particular.  “After analyzing 1 million ChatGPT interaction logs, a group of researchers found that ‘sexual role-playing’ was the second most prevalent use, following only the category of ‘creative composition.’

AI friendships are just the beginning. The Psychologist bot, a popular simulated therapist on Character.AI—where users can design their own ‘friends’—has received “more than 95 million messages from users since it was created.” According to a new Institute for Family Studies (IFS)/YouGov survey of 2,000 adults under age 40, 1% of young Americans claim to already have an AI friend, with 10% stating that they “are open to an AI friendship.” And among young adults who are not married or cohabiting, 7% are open to the idea of romantic partnership with AI. “A much higher share (25%) of young adults believe that AI has the potential to replace real-life romantic relationships. Furthermore, heavy porn users are the most open to romantic relationships with AI of any group and are also the most open to AI friendships in general.”

In addition to AI relationships, the new IFS survey also asked young Americans how they feel about the changes AI technology may bring to society. “We find that their reactions to AI are divided. About half of young adults under age 40 (55%) view AI technology as either threatening or concerning, while 45% view it as either intriguing or exciting.  There are complex socio-economic findings, too, with young adults with lower incomes and less education being more likely than those with higher incomes and more education to fear how AI will affect society. At the same time, this group is more likely than their fellow Americans who are better off to be open to a romance with AI.”

The million-dollar question you may be asking is whether these AI relationships can truly replace real-life romance and domestic happiness.  According to the IFS study, 1 out of 4 young adults do believe that AI boyfriends and girlfriends can potentially replace a real-life romantic relationship.  The inverse, however, also indicates that 3 out of 4, or 75%, do not feel that way, and instead do not see AI as any type of viable replacement for human partners.

Furthermore, it is worth noting that “young men are more likely than young women to believe that AI has the potential to replace real-life romantic relationships (28% vs. 22%)” and young men are generally more open to AI friendships than young women,” paralleling the gender difference in their views of AI’s potential for romance.

 

Digging a bit deeper to combine this phenomenon with increased online pornography use by young adults (according to another recent study the IFS conducted), research is revealing that “young adults who use porn frequently are more likely to experience loneliness and depression than those who do not. It is possible that young adults who use pornography heavily are also more open to AI companionship, especially given that so-called ‘sexbots’ are already widely used.” Providing more data on this connection, the IFS study expounds: “Among unpartnered young adults, heavy porn users turn out to be the group most open to the idea of an AI girlfriend or boyfriend. Among single young adults, those who watch porn online at least once a day are twice as likely as those who rarely, if ever watch porn to say they are open to an AI romance. More than 10% of heavy porn users say they are open to it (which includes the 1% of young adults in this group who already have an AI girlfriend or boyfriend).”  

 

These trends are important in understanding not only what is happening in our culture, but what is happening to people generally. From computing, to online society, through the pandemic, to remote study or work, a greater sense of loneliness has opened extremely significant voids that are working damaging deconstruction and destruction of quality relationships; and that affects families, and the law’s efforts to restore the family.

 

As we begin this new semester at Regent University School of Law, law students will not only learn the immediate challenges facing families today (such as AI relationships and pornography), but they will also study family law from a Biblical perspective, understanding it as a meaningful expression of human experience, as a means of pursuing God’s truth, and as an act of love and community.

 

At Regent Law the Christian faith and the Bible are incorporated into the course on Family Law at every point by the use of scriptural illumination of current family law and regulation. Scripture is used considerably throughout the course, providing not only the basis of family design and formation, but also the context for development of law and regulation to protect the individuals who comprise families, and the family itself as a timeless institution. We study family law as an expression of the human condition, discovering God’s design for families and relationships, and learning how to direct family law and policy to restore people, restore relationships, restore families, and work to restore those divine ends God intended. Particularly amid tough cultural challenges, our God and His Word are such healing salves on the wounds we deal with in the law.

 

Family Law is all about domestic relationships. Parents, children, siblings, spouses – those relationships that matter so much to you and me and those we love.  And something different is happening – family restoration - and it’s happening at Regent Law.