YouGov Survey: Artificial Intelligence (June 26-29, 2026)

Key Findings

• — 10% of US adults say they have had an ongoing personal friendship with an AI chatbot (18% of 18-29-year-olds); a further 13% would consider it
• — 13% have confided in an AI chatbot about a problem or secret they had not told anyone else (23% of 18-29s)
• — 5% have used an AI chatbot for romantic or sexual companionship, and 5% have talked with a virtual version of someone who has died
• — 9% have hidden how much they use AI from a partner or family member, rising to 18% among 18-29s
• — Black (18-20%) and Hispanic (17-24%) respondents report higher rates of AI friendship and confiding than white respondents (8-10%)

Methodology Notes

Opt-in online panel, n=1,126 US adult citizens, fielded 2026-06-26 to 2026-06-29, margin of error ±3.8pp; 43-page topline and crosstabs PDF read directly. The published crosstabs carry demographic and political banners only: the 28% concealment figure among multiple-times-daily AI users that circulates from YouGov's accompanying article is article prose and is not reproducible from the published tables (the published age banner shows 18% for 18-29s). Self-report on sensitive items carries social-desirability risk.

Sources