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SHANGHAI — Almost 50 percent of young adults in six major economies think artificial intelligence (AI) romantic companionship will improve human happiness through emotional support in the next decade, the results of a large survey suggested Monday.

The percentage dropped progressively across older age categories to just a quarter of people aged 55 and over, according to the research shared exclusively with AFP.

Leaps in AI development have seen people turn to chatbots as confidants and lovers, while advancements in robotics are helping produce more sophisticated sex dolls — raising questions over the impact on human relationships.

The survey of nearly 10,000 people across the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, Indonesia and Hong Kong provides a snapshot of this "rapidly changing moral landscape," pollsters YouGov said.