‘AI-sexual’ may be an emerging orientation

Some people have apparently fallen for chatbots so hard that there’s a new sexuality forming: “AI-sexual.”

That’s according to AI companion company Joi AI. In a survey the company conducted last month of 2,500 Gen Z and millennial adults who actively use AI tools, 55 percent report considering themselves AI-sexual, or “more than open to experimenting with AI in a sexual or intimate context.”

The dominating reason why these folks turn to AI for sexual exploration is that it feels easier and more comfortable to express their desires with AI as opposed to a human being (60 percent of participants said this).

While concerning, this makes sense given the research. Last year, when discussing why some Gen Z-ers would marry AI bots, clinical neuropsychologist Shifali Singh told Mashable that young adults with social anxiety may turn to AI to have a judgment-free interaction.

But as Kinsey scientist Justin Garcia told Mashable earlier this year, an important component of human relationships is the give-and-take. AI relationships are likely more transactional.

Joi AI found that AI-using young adults don’t just get freaky with AI because it’s less stressful than human interaction, though. Thirty-seven percent use it to practice flirting and dating scenarios, while 31 percent explore new kinks before trying them IRL. A quarter (25 percent) explore kinks they’d never try offline, too.

More than half of respondents (61 percent) said sexually exploring with AI has actively improved their “actual” sex life, while 65 percent said it’s made them feel more sexy IRL.

It’s also being used as a discovery tool, as 60 percent said AI has helped them discover sexual interests they didn’t know they had. Twenty-nine percent said they use it to get ideas for partnered sex. Meanwhile, some people are into the sci-fi element of getting dirty with an AI (28 percent) — which is the Her factor of it all. Nearly half (49 percent) said they’d definitely consider having sex with an AI if the tech allowed for it.

Seeing as some AI users (even with human partners) are hooking up with their bots, it was only a matter of time before it became part of their sexual orientation. Even still, though, take this survey with a grain of salt — it was done by an AI companion company and a survey of those who actively use AI, after all.