Thirty-seven percent of respondents say a romantic relationship with an AI chatbot while already in a committed relationship is not cheating. The figure comes from Malwarebytes' report "Artificial Intimacy: Love and lies in the age of AI", which describes AI present at every stage of romantic life, from the flirty first text to the apology after a fight.
The permissive view is more common among men (46% versus 30% of women), Gen Z (43%), Millennials (45%) and regular AI users (48%). About one in six has turned to a chatbot for companionship or emotional support, a share that rises to about one in five among Gen Z and Millennials and nearly one in four among regular users.
The other side is security. 65% worry private conversations with AI could be exposed, and 62% fear fake nude or sexually explicit images of themselves. The fear is not only theoretical: one in ten says AI has already been used to generate nude or explicit imagery of them without permission, and another one in ten says someone has threatened to release such AI-generated material. Women are more worried than men (69% versus 57%).
Another figure stands out against that concern: about one respondent in six considers it acceptable to generate explicit images of someone without their consent for personal use. Another 14% are neutral, so nearly a third do not explicitly oppose it. Younger adults are most accepting: 24% of Gen Z and 23% of Millennials, against 13% of Gen X and 5% of Boomers. Men (22%) are again more permissive than women (14%).
The report also points to a loss of trust in what is real. 88% say AI makes it harder to tell genuine online content from artificial, and 84% say even convincing video no longer feels like proof. Survey testimonies show both sides: some use AI to see their partner's point of view, others quit dating apps after finding a profile with fake photos.
The research is based on a March 2026 survey of 1,500 people in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, prepared by an independent consultant and distributed via Forsta. Malwarebytes advises checking who you are talking to with a reverse image search of profile photos, distrusting anyone who pushes for quick decisions or moves the chat to Telegram, Discord or Signal, and never sending money, gift cards, crypto or documents to people known only online.
No comments yet. Be the first!