{"id":6195,"date":"2026-10-27T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.malwarebytes.com\/press\/?p=6195"},"modified":"2026-10-23T05:13:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T12:13:37","slug":"more-than-1-in-3-people-say-dating-an-ai-chatbot-while-in-a-relationship-isnt-cheating-malwarebytes-research-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.malwarebytes.com\/press\/2026\/10\/27\/more-than-1-in-3-people-say-dating-an-ai-chatbot-while-in-a-relationship-isnt-cheating-malwarebytes-research-finds","title":{"rendered":"More than 1 in 3 people say dating an AI chatbot while in a relationship isn\u2019t cheating, Malwarebytes research finds\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>New \u201cArtificial Intimacy\u201d report shows AI has become the third wheel in modern relationships, and a tool for sextortion, catfishing, and fake nudes<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>SANTA CLARA, Calif. \u2013 Oct 27, 2026 \u2013 <\/strong>AI has officially entered the chat. And the date. And, for some people, the relationship itself. Malwarebytes, the global leader in real-time cyber protection, shared new research today, Artificial Intimacy: Love and lies in the age of AI, revealing that AI is now showing up everywhere from the flirty first text to the post-fight apology, and that a surprising number of people have relaxed views about where the lines are. More than one in three (37%) say having a romantic relationship with an AI chatbot while already in a committed relationship isn\u2019t the same as cheating. About one in six have turned to a chatbot for companionship or emotional support.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Read the full report: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.malwarebytes.com\/blog\/artificial-intimacy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">www.malwarebytes.com\/blog\/artificial-intimacy<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the same technology that helps people find the right words is also being used to fake, deceive, and exploit. One in ten people say AI has been used to create nude or sexually explicit imagery of them without permission, and one in ten say someone has threatened to release AI-generated explicit imagery of them. This connects to the broader issue of scams with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.malwarebytes.com\/blog\/news\/2025\/10\/ai-driven-scams-are-preying-on-gen-zs-digital-lives\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one in six mobile users<\/a> being a target of sextortion scams.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAI can help you write a better text or work through a fight with your partner, and that\u2019s not nothing,\u201d said Shahak Shalev, Global Head of Scam and AI Research, Malwarebytes. \u201cBut relationships run on trust, and AI is making trust harder to take at face value. A fake profile is often the front door to a romance scam, and the damage goes beyond lost money. Victims also lose sleep, confidence, and their willingness to trust the next person who says hello. The photo, the profile, and even the explicit image someone threatens to post might all be fake. The heartbreak isn\u2019t.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Key findings<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Is it cheating if it\u2019s a chatbot?\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>37% say a romantic relationship with an AI chatbot while in a committed relationship isn\u2019t cheating.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Men are far more likely to see it that way than women (46% vs. 30%), as are Gen Z (43%), Millennials (45%), and regular AI users (48%).\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>About 1 in 6 have turned to a chatbot for companionship or emotional support, rising to about 1 in 5 among Gen Z and Millennials and nearly 1 in 4 among regular AI users.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>65% worry that private conversations they\u2019ve had with AI could be exposed.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fake nudes are a real fear, and for some, a reality\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>62% worry someone could create fake nude or sexually explicit photos or videos of them. Women are more concerned (69%) than men (57%).\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 in 10 say AI has been used to generate nude or sexually explicit imagery of them without permission.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 in 10 say someone has threatened to release AI-generated compromising or explicit imagery of them.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>About 1 in 6 say it\u2019s acceptable to generate explicit images of someone without their permission for personal use. Another 14% are neutral, meaning nearly 1 in 3 (31%) don\u2019t explicitly oppose it.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Younger adults are the most accepting: 24% of Gen Z and 23% of Millennials say it\u2019s okay, compared with 13% of Gen X and 5% of Boomers+. Men (22%) are more permissive than women (14%).\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Seeing is no longer believing\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>88% say AI is making it harder to tell what online content is genuinely human or real.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>84% say even convincing video evidence no longer necessarily feels like proof.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In their own words<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Survey respondents described both sides of AI\u2019s role in their love lives.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the upside, one said: \u201cWe use AI in our relationship as a reflection tool, and it has sometimes helped us take on the perspective of the other.\u201d Another credited AI with helping them work through jealousy: \u201c\u2026once I talked to AI about it, they gave helpful advice and now we are stronger than ever.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the downside, one respondent described quitting dating apps after discovering a match \u201chad fake pictures\u2026 creating completely false photos and information.\u201d Another said: \u201cI had someone make fake nudes of me using AI on my photos from my social media and threaten to post them on Facebook.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Tips for staying safe in the age of artificial intimacy<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Verify who you\u2019re talking to<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Reverse-image search profile photos. Look for copied bios, reused images, and accounts with very little real activity.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A personalized reply or a voice message doesn\u2019t prove an account is real.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Watch for the classic romance-scam red flags<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Be wary of unsolicited contact, especially when someone builds emotional rapport quickly.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Be cautious of anyone who pushes for fast decisions, or who wants to move the chat off the platform to Discord, Telegram, Signal and the like.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Treat flirty messages with caution when they quickly turn transactional.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Don\u2019t send anything you can\u2019t take back<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Don\u2019t send money, gift cards, crypto, intimate images, ID documents, or account logins to someone you only know online.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Be skeptical of urgent payment demands, especially ones involving crypto or gift cards.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Shrink what\u2019s available to fake<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Limit the voice and video content you share publicly, because scammers can reuse it.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tighten social media privacy settings and review your followers regularly.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>If you\u2019re targeted<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Don\u2019t pay anyone who threatens you. Report it to the platform and to the authorities.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Report quickly to your bank and to IC3.gov or your local authorities. \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Check any message, text or piece of content with <a href=\"https:\/\/my.malwarebytes.com\/public\/scam-guard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Malwarebytes Scam Guard<\/a> to see if it may be a scam or contain suspicious content.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>About the research<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The research is based on a March 2026 survey about AI, identity, and the collapse of digital trust, conducted among 1,500 respondents in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The research was prepared by an independent research consultant and distributed via Forsta. \u201cRegular AI users\u201d are those who use AI daily or multiple times a week.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New \u201cArtificial Intimacy\u201d report shows AI has become the third wheel in modern relationships, and a tool for sextortion, catfishing, and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":5849,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[407,184,14,17,206],"blog_type":[],"class_list":["post-6195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-releases","tag-ai","tag-cybersecurity","tag-malwarebytes","tag-news","tag-scams"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.7 (Yoast SEO v28.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Malwarebytes Press Center - News &amp; 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