Muah AI's survey provides a comprehensive look at how its users interact with their AI companions, and the results challenge the notion that most users are looking for a serious relationship with AI. According to the data:

• Less than 2% of users consider themselves to be "seriously dating" their AI companion.
• A significant majority view their interactions with the AI as a form of entertainment or roleplaying rather than a meaningful romantic or emotional connection.
• Many users engage with AI companions out of curiosity or as a way to pass the time, often treating the interactions as light-hearted and fun rather than a substitute for a real-life relationship.
• A notable portion of users also expressed that they enjoy using AI companions for creative roleplaying scenarios, where they can explore fictional or fantasy-based interactions without any real-world implications.

• The preference for human doctors over AI is strong, especially for visits involving psychiatry and therapy.
• People are less likely to trust AI with personal clinical information, especially regarding mental health.
• The presence of AI as "the artificial third" impacts the patient-doctor and client-therapist relationship.

• Since the invention of the smartphone, much of our social interactions are through online platforms.
• The rewiring of childhood can cause stunted development in our capacity to form real-life relationships.
• There are risks in investing too much of ourselves in virtual relationships instead of real ones.

The study, published today as part of the proceedings of the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL 2024) – the premier international conference in natural language processing – reveals that LLMs have a superficial ability to follow instructions and excel at proficiency in language, however, they have no potential to master new skills without explicit instruction. This means they remain inherently controllable, predictable and safe.