Is interacting with AI characters becoming the norm for you? (Your POV)

Personally, interacting with AI characters has started to feel normal, especially when brainstorming, venting, or simulating conversations to prep for real ones. But I still find human connection irreplaceable.... what surprises me most is how naturally younger people seem to treat AI like a peer. When I discuss AI with my younger cousins, they don’t view it as "tech", they see it as an integral part of everyday life. That generational shift is fascinating and a little unsettling.

I use AI everyday to learn new things and make decisions. Speak, chat, send pictures and screenshots, what ever. It's a pretty knowledgeable companion.

But, and this is a big but, when I sense AI in conversation with someone that is a presumably a person, I immediately stop the conversation or don't even start it in the first place.

I hate people using AI to scale their sales or networking efforts. This became the easiest way to loose my respect instantly.

The bigger conversation here isn’t “do people use AI characters?” because they clearly do. It’s whether they understand what they’re using. As AI gets more emotionally responsive, we need to treat AI literacy like we treat emotional literacy, like a skill you build so you’re not manipulated, misled, or emotionally over-invested in a simulation that can’t actually show up for you.

Honestly, I started using AI just to speed things up with work, but lately I’ve caught myself having more casual convos with it too ,especially when brainstorming or organizing thoughts. That said, I still prioritize real human interaction. But I get why teens are leaning into it. It's instant, judgment-free, and always on.

Curious though... will this reshape how future generations expect to be listened to or supported?

@busmark_w_nika Never fails to bring such interesting topics on PH, no wonder she ACTUALLY plans the posts here.
Honestly, interacting with AI characters still feels a bit foreign to me. I use AI every day as a tool for brainstorming practical tasks, but I can’t say I treat AI like a companion or character.
For me, and I guess for many, the line between productivity assistant and “digital friend” isn’t blurry.
I still need some messiness and unpredictability that comes with human connection.

Watching how naturally younger people engage with AI characters is fascinating (I'm 22, but still.)
AI doesn’t feel like tech to the younger generation, just a normal part of the digital world. For them, chatting with AI is as unremarkable as using the internet or a calculator. It’s become woven into daily habits, and honestly the stats you shared make perfect sense in that context.

While AI characters aren’t “the norm” for me (yet), I totally get why they’re taking off

I still use AI every day for almost every task, even while writing this, it’s helping me improve my English grammar and vocabulary.

However, I’ve never really treated AI as a real character. I’ve always seen it as a productivity tool.

There was a time when I thought of it almost like a person who understood me, but once its patterns became too repetitive and my hype for the technology faded, it reverted to just being a tool for me.

That said, who knows what things will look like in 5 to 10 years. We might have AI that truly empathizes and connects with our emotions, and anything is possible.

This is a great place to just plug my app :D

https://aichiki.ai

AI characters with any personality!

This is such a fascinating shift, and honestly, those stats surprise me too.

I think we often underestimate just how emotionally engaging AI can feel, especially to digital-native generations. What looks like novelty to some of us can feel like safe space, low-stakes connection, or even identity exploration to teens.

I’ve definitely noticed a gap between how my peers perceive AI companions vs how my children do. For many of us, AI is a tool. For them, it’s quickly becoming a character, a confidant, even a co-pilot in daily life.

It raises big questions around emotional literacy, boundaries, and what “connection” means in a hybrid human-AI world.

Curious to see how this evolves, especially as AI becomes more multimodal and persistent across platforms.

The convergence of these trends is alarming. With up to 25% of teens and young adults reporting frequent loneliness, and growing numbers finding AI as emotionally fulfilling as friends, I worry we’re normalizing a world where people "settle" for artificial relationships. When digital comfort replaces real support, the risk is not just feeling alone, but actually being alone.

Recent research highlights that therapy and companionship have become leading uses for generative AI, especially among young people. These AI characters offer instant, judgment-free support, making them attractive for anyone seeking comfort, advice, or a sense of connection. As someone observing this trend, I see the appeal: an AI is available 24/7, never gets tired of listening, and can be tailored to individual needs.

However, I have significant concerns. The ease and comfort of AI companionship often substitutes real human contact instead of supplementing it. Evidence suggests that relying primarily on AI for social or emotional needs can actually make loneliness worse, rather than acting as a true antidote. AI companions lack the nuance, unpredictability, and real conflict found in genuine relationships, which are essential for growth and resilience.

We live in a disconnected society—from ourselves and each other. The growth of AI as a substitute for human connection can deepen this divide, especially when nearly a third of young people now find AI chats as fulfilling as talking to real people.