Nearly three-quarters of teens have used AI companions, and half use them regularly, new research finds. Moreover, one-third turn to chatbots for social interactions.

The study by Common Sense Media also found that nearly a third of teens are as satisfied, if not more, by conversing with AI rather than humans.

Grok, a product of Musk’s company xAI, is calling the characters “Companions.” So far, there are two companions that users can chat with: a flirty Japanese anime character n

Ani, an anime avatar wearing a tight black dress, was launched the same day the tech billionaire was awarded a $200 million Department of Defense contract.

One of the new “companions,” or AI characters for users to interact with, is a sexualized blonde anime bot called “Ani."

Nearly three in four American teenagers have used AI companions, with more than half qualifying as regular users despite growing safety concerns about these virtual relationships, according to a new survey released Wednesday.

A new study shows that over half of teens are regular users of AI companions — and some prefer them to their human friends.

Teens admit that they prefer discussing important topics with AI companions more than people, according to a new study.