Teen boys are dating their AI chatbots—and experts warn opting out of real relationships could hurt their careers in the future

Gen Z dated strategically—dating people 25% more attractive and successful than them to climb the social ladder. Gen Alpha, it seems, has decided the whole thing is too much effort. Instead, teen boys are quietly swapping first dates, awkward silences, and emotional guesswork for an AI girlfriend who never cancels, never argues, and always texts back.

In fact, research by Male Allies UK found that 20% of boys aged 12 to 16 know a peer who is “dating” an AI chatbot, while 85% have spoken to one, and over a quarter even prefer the attention and connection they get from a bot over the real thing. 

Most shockingly, 58% said an AI relationship is easier because they can “control the conversation.” 

The appeal is, as one professor told Fortune, obvious: “maximum control, zero rejection.” And it’s a shift that could reshape not just their love lives, but their future careers.

The toll of opting out of real relationships, in all their mess and glory, experts warn, could be a generation that arrives in the workforce unable to read a room, build trust over a coffee, or handle the one thing AI can never prepare you for—being told no.

Gen Alpha’s new ‘girlfriend’ comes with an off switch and no social risk—unlike real relationships

“The real issue is not that young people are talking to AI, but that some may start using it as a substitute for the messy, demanding work of human connection,” says Professor Pierluigi Casale, Head of AI at OPIT. “Real relationships teach negotiation, empathy, rejection, compromise, and social confidence. AI companionship can mimic intimacy whilst removing much of that friction.”

That convenience may come at a cost that stretches far beyond dating. Because the........

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