Infobip's Survey Reveals Americans Are Getting Personal with Chatbots

From Flirting to Friendships, Relationships with AI Are Gaining Popularity

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global omnichannel cloud communications platform Infobip recently commissioned a survey that sheds light on Americans' interactions with chatbots, uncovering some intriguing insights into the evolving relationship between humans and AI.

The nationwide survey revealed that nearly 20% of Americans have engaged in flirtatious conversations with chatbots. This trend is particularly prevalent among those aged 35 to 44, with over 50% of respondents in this age group admitting to having flirted with a chatbot.

The survey findings reveal that chatbots are not just tools for information retrieval or task completion but are increasingly being seen as companions by Americans. These findings indicate a growing acceptance and comfort level with AI-powered conversational tools, as well as a willingness to explore novel forms of communication and interaction.

The survey ranks Americans’ top four reasons for flirting with chatbots:

1. Curiosity: 47.2% of participants flirted with chatbots out of curiosity, wanting to explore and experience the responses.
2. Loneliness: 23.9% confirmed feelings of loneliness, finding joy in interactions with chatbots.
3. Confusion: 16.7% admitted to being "AI-phished," not realizing they were interacting with a chatbot.
4. Sex: 12.2% sought sexual chat within a private space.

Beyond Flirting: Befriending Chatbots

A remarkable 18.2% of the population has formed friendships with AI-powered conversational tools, engaging in a range of discussions from one-off chats to ongoing, long-term relationships.

The dynamics of these friendships are diverse and complex. "Chatbot Ghosting" accounts for 66.1% of interactions, where individuals engage in one-time conversations on various topics and then move on. "Chatbot Acquaintances" make up 19.6% of relationships, with individuals returning for more discussions on different subjects, while "Chatbot Besties" form the remaining 10.7% of friendships, enjoying regular chats and developing ongoing bonds with their AI companions.

NSFC (Not Safe for Chatbots)

While inappropriate chatting is not the norm, 16.1% of Americans have tested the boundaries. Among them, 43% discussed sexual acts, while 49% preferred chatting about worldly topics such as politics and war. Additionally, 51.7% turned to chatbots for emotional needs, creating a sense of safety.

Trust and Mistrust in Chatbot Relationships

Mistrust still lingers, with 40.7% expressing skepticism towards AI bot responses. Interestingly, 56% confirmed they would trust a male chatbot more than its female counterpart.

CX Has Entered the Chat

With its messaging platform reaching over 70% of mobile phones globally and handling hundreds of billions of messages annually, Infobip is uniquely positioned to shape the future of AI in customer service.

"Chatbot relationships may be on the rise, but we cannot overlook their role in customer service. Over half of Americans (52.4%) believe that chatbots will positively impact this crucial aspect of business,” said Infobip Chief Business Officer, Ivan Ostojić. “In an era where customer loyalty is paramount, good customer service is key — 88% of Americans confirm that it makes them more loyal to a company. It's important to note that preferred communication channels for brands to engage with consumers are email (49.6%) and text (34.1%)."

The survey highlights the evolving nature of customer service in human-bot interactions, as Americans increasingly recognize the potential of AI to provide more efficient and tailored support experiences that enhance user experiences across various sectors.

About Infobip

Infobip is a global cloud communications platform that enables businesses to build connected experiences across all stages of the customer journey. Accessed through a single platform, Infobip’s omnichannel engagement, identity, user authentication and contact center solutions help businesses and partners overcome the complexity of consumer communications to grow business and increase loyalty. With over a decade of industry experience, Infobip has expanded to 75+ offices globally. It offers natively built technology with the capacity to reach over seven billion mobile devices and ‘things’ in 6 continents connected to over 9,700+ connections of which 800+ are direct operator connections. Infobip was established in 2006 and is led by its co-founders, CEO Silvio Kutić, Roberto Kutić and Izabel Jelenić.

Recent award wins include:

• Infobip ranked as number one Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) provider, in the inaugural MetriRank CPaaS Report from Metrigy (Dec 2023)
• Omdia Ranks Infobip as Leader for the second year running in its CPaaS Universe Report (Nov 2023)
• Infobip named a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) 2023 (Sept 2023)
• Infobip named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Communications Platform-as-a-Service (CPaaS) 2023 Vendor Assessment (May 2023)
• Infobip named a leader in the Juniper Customer Data Platform Leaderboard Report (July 2023)
• Infobip named a leader in the CPaaS Leaderboard, Juniper Research (Feb 2023)
• Infobip named a leader in the CCaaS Leaderboard, Juniper Research (Dec 2023)