Have you ever turned to AI for relationship advice? Do you refer to ChatGPT as ‘him’ or ‘her’, or treat AI companions as a friend or romantic partner? Do you use it as a trusted expert?
This article was written by The Line Creative Hub member Talisa G.
Artificial intelligencehas quickly become an ever-present part of a lot of our lives, but what kind of impact is it having on our relationships?
The reality is, AI can give decent surface-level advice which makes it harder to argue with, but dive a little deeper and the problems start to show. So, let’s do that.
Should I Use AI For Relationship Advice?
I asked ChatGPT how to flirt with my crush and it said:
‘It doesn’t need to be complicated — the best way to ask someone out is usually simple, clear, and respectful.’
Decent advice, and the classic em dash.
But, AI can't actually assess a situation with an emotional lens.
It can’t assess your history, your feelings, or the full picture.
It just pattern-matches and responds.
There's a meme going around that sums this up pretty well. You may have seen it:
‘Somewhere right now, ChatGPT is telling a deadbeat dad the phone works both ways.’
Kinda funny, but only in a ‘funny cos it’s true’ way.
This pattern-match and respond cycle matters a lot when you're asking about real-world emotional issues, like dating and relationships because it can tell you what you want to hear, not what you need to hear.
What are AI Companions?
Some people use AI companion apps to practice flirting or romantic conversations.
And look, we get it, it can feel lower stakes than the real thing.
But these apps don't reflect how real relationships actually work.
They can't consent, they don’t have emotions, and they just can’t get deep enough into the reality of being a human.
They have been known to reinforce unrealistic expectations and social scripts to do with sex and dating, similar (and sometimes worse) to how porn can.
The Reality of AI
If I asked a real-life person, let’s call him Brian, how to ask someone out, he might tell me to:
‘Buy them flowers!’
If I asked Nick the same question, he might say:
‘Directly, with confidence!’
Those are pretty different.
AI doesn’t really do that, because it doesn’t have real life experience, and it doesn’t know you.
There's also something called a filter bubble.
You've probably seen this on TikTok or YouTube.
It’s where you watch one video about Formula One and suddenly your whole feed is Formula One.
AI does this with your opinions. Tell a chatbot you feel misunderstood and it'll keep telling you that you're misunderstood, over and over and over, without ever stopping to check if it’s actually true.
And fyi, it also collects heaps and heaps of your personal data that can be used for a whole number of things you probably wouldn’t particularly like.
4 Helpful Tips When Using AI For Relationship Advice
Feel however you want about AI, but we seriously recommend using it with caution.
Here’s a helpful checklist:
- Check your emotional attachment. Would you genuinely feel upset if you lost access to it? It could be a sign it has more power over you than it should.
- Ask yourself how much you rely on it. If it wasn’t there anymore, how would you feel? Could you still work out what to do next?
- Treat AI advice like a social media reel. Run the output through your values and opinions before you act on anything.
- Talk to a human. Real people who know you will almost always give you better advice than AI.
The world is changing faster than ever, and no one blames you for trying to keep up.
But, moving forward, we encourage you to stay informed, think critically, and make sure the tools you use are working for you, not the other way around.
