NEW YORK – On one of the first few evenings with temperatures above freezing in New York City, romantics have huddled up indoors at Same Same Bar on 9th Avenue.
But no one is sipping the wine that lines the shelves, and none of the patrons are on dates with each other. Instead, they’re gazing across the table at their phones, each on a date with an AI companion.
Ahead of Valentine’s Day, EVA AI hosted a pop up where human users could take their AI companions on a date on Feb. 11 or 12. But looking around the room, it seems most users prefer interacting with their companions in private. The company said nearly 40 visitors were expected to show up on Thursday night, but in a 50-minute period, only three turned up. Instead, the room was mostly filled with journalists and influencers.
Still, don’t be fooled by the light turnout. Though AI companionship has mainly been confined to text exchanges and secluded corners of the internet, it’s actually quite popular.
Indiana University’s Kinsey Institute, a leading sex research center, interviewed 5,000 people for its 2025 Singles in America survey and found that 16% of participants were using AI as a romantic partner. The subreddit r/MyBoyfriendisAI, where users share their love stories and support each other’s AI relationships, formed in August 2024 and has nearly 50,000 members.
