Teen boys are dating their AI chatbots—and experts warn opting out of real relationships could hurt their careers in the future

Gen Z dated strategically—dating people 25% more attractive and successful than them to climb the social ladder. Gen Alpha, it seems, has decided the whole thing is too much effort. Instead, teen boys are quietly swapping first dates, awkward silences, and emotional guesswork for an AI girlfriend who never cancels, never argues, and always texts back.

In fact, research by Male Allies UK found that 20% of boys aged 12 to 16 know a peer who is “dating” an AI chatbot, while 85% have spoken to one, and over a quarter even prefer the attention and connection they get from a bot over the real thing. 

Most shockingly, 58% said an AI relationship is easier because they can “control the conversation.” 

The appeal is, as one professor told Fortune, obvious: “maximum control, zero rejection.” And it’s a shift that could reshape not just their love lives, but their future careers.

The toll of opting out of real relationships, in all their mess and glory, experts warn, could be a generation that arrives in the workforce unable to read a room, build trust over a coffee, or handle the one thing AI can never prepare you for—being told no.

Gen Alpha’s new ‘girlfriend’ comes with an off switch and no social risk—unlike real relationships

“The real issue is not that young people are talking to AI, but that some may start using it as a substitute for the messy, demanding work of human connection,” says Professor Pierluigi Casale, Head of AI at OPIT. “Real relationships teach negotiation, empathy, rejection, compromise, and social confidence. AI companionship can mimic intimacy whilst removing much of that friction.”

That convenience may come at a cost that stretches far beyond dating. Because the same soft skills needed to maintain a relationship are just as vital in the workplace. For example, to nail an interview, present in front of peers, or even just handle opposing opinions in the office. And it’s already lacking in younger generations who grew up with a smartphone in their hand. 

Fortune has already reported that Gen Z grads are being fired at record rates—with a lack of social skills frequently cited as a key reason; That struggling to hold conversations with coworkers is already holding young workers back from promotions; And some employers are even forcing their new young hires to take on basic soft skills training, including lessons in how to speak up in meetings.

If Gen Z is already struggling, Gen Alpha—with AI companions that never push back, never need tending, and always agree—could arrive in even worse shape.

Essentially, the workplace case against AI relationships is less about romance and more about what human relationships actually teach you. 

“Reading a room, picking up on social cues, building trust over coffee or a conference dinner—these are muscles you develop through practice, and practice requires real people,” Alessia Paccagnini, Associate Professor at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, stresses.

Professor Raoul V. Kübler of ESSEC Business School puts it more bluntly: the risk is that boys dating AI are “unconsciously training themselves to expect relationships that never push back, never need tending, and never require genuine compromise. These are, however, exactly the skills that determine success in careers, friendships, and life.” And crucially, he adds, “this shift happens so gradually that most people don’t notice it’s happening at all.”

There’s one ironic upside: these boys will probably enter the workforce pretty fluent in AI—and Kübler says that knowing how to communicate with and interact with AI could give these teens a “genuine head start” over their peers when it comes to job hunting one day. “In that sense, dating an AI might be surprisingly good career preparation,” Kübler adds.

But he is clear that it’s a two-sided coin. “Real technical fluency on one side, stunted personal development on the other—and the job market will eventually demand both.”

The real price of an AI girlfriend: fewer connections and fewer opportunities

Teen boys might think an AI girlfriend solves their immediate problems—no awkward small talk, no rejection, no risking embarrassment. But there’s a quieter long‑term cost: with fewer real‑life relationships, they’re not just dodging discomfort, they’re forfeiting access.

As Paccagnini puts it: “When you can custom-design a companion who never disappoints you, the incentive to invest in messy, imperfect real-world friendships, romantic or otherwise, diminishes. And those non-romantic ties are often the ones that open professional doors.”

Ultimately, young people who retreat into the comfort of AI companionship could be hit with a double whammy effect: They won’t just feel more socially rusty, they’ll simply know fewer people who can open doors, recommend them for roles, or whisper their name in the right room at the right moment.

Plenty of CEOs have told Fortune that early‑career friendships were vital to their growth, particularly for those who didn’t start with money or family connections. 

One millennial founder, Sam Budd—who got his start working alongside Diary of a CEO’s Steven Bartlett—described escaping a childhood shaped by poverty and a heroin‑addicted father through relentless networking: showing up, asking for help, and building a web of people who wanted to see him win.

Likewise, Kurt Geiger’s CEO Neil Clifford told Fortune he went from cleaning toilets to running the Steve Madden–owned multimillion-dollar accessories brand by befriending his bosses along the way: “You want them to be fabulous—you want them to love you and want to help you.”

The common thread is not talent alone, but proximity. Being known. Being remembered. Being recommended.

Even once in the C-suite, leaders have told Fortune that they’re still turning to those connections they made at the start of their careers for genuine advice, honest feedback, and even career opportunities—decades later.

It’s why, Paccagnini warns, this shift could quietly shape a whole generation’s trajectory: “We may see long-term consequences not just for their romantic lives, but for their capacity to collaborate, lead, and build the kind of human networks that careers depend on.” 

Because when the time comes to pick a successor, a partner, or a protégé, no executive is going to ask what your AI girlfriend thinks of you.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com