New survey data suggests AI tools are becoming part of how younger adults process stress, relationships, and personal uncertainty, not as replacements for human connection, but as low-friction spaces for reflection.
A growing number of young adults are using artificial intelligence tools to discuss personal problems, process emotions, and navigate everyday stress, according to new survey data from MyIQ. The findings point less to the collapse of human relationships than to a broader shift in how emotional support is accessed in increasingly digital lives.
The survey, based on responses from 11,620 adults across the United States, the United Kingdom, Latin America, the EU, and Australia, found that among respondents aged 18 to 34, 28% said AI understands them better than the people around them. A similar share said they find it easier to discuss personal issues with AI tools than with friends or family.
The strongest signal in the data is not emotional attachment to AI itself, but the role these systems are beginning to play as private, immediate spaces for reflection. Younger respondents repeatedly associated AI conversations with reduced social pressure, emotional neutrality, and the ability to articulate thoughts without interruption.
Among respondents aged 18 to 34, 34% said they had used AI tools to talk through emotional or personal problems, including relationships, stress, and major life decisions. Within that group, 26% said they preferred AI conversations because they felt “less judged” than when speaking to other people.
Across all age groups, 31% said they would feel comfortable relying on AI for emotional advice or reassurance during difficult periods, while 22% reported returning to AI multiple times for ongoing personal support rather than isolated interactions.
Regional differences were notable. In Latin America, emotional engagement with AI tools appeared particularly high, with 36% of respondents aged 18 to 34 saying they had discussed personal challenges with AI systems. Comparable figures were 29% in the United States, 27% in Europe, 25% in Australia, and 24% in the United Kingdom.
The pattern reflects a broader shift already visible across digital culture, where AI tools are increasingly used not only for productivity or information retrieval, but also for emotional processing. For many younger users, AI is becoming a socially consequence-free space to rehearse difficult conversations, organise thoughts, and process uncertainty before bringing those emotions into real relationships.
The data also suggests that emotional convenience plays a central role in why users return to these systems. Among respondents who had used AI for personal matters, 41% said they valued the absence of emotional reaction, while 33% said they felt more comfortable expressing themselves honestly to a non-human system.
At the same time, the findings point to emerging tensions around emotional dependence and digital intimacy. A smaller but still significant share of respondents, 17%, said they had developed some form of emotional attachment or reliance on AI tools they interact with regularly.
The distinction between emotional support, self-reflection, and AI-assisted dialogue appears increasingly blurred for younger adults who already conduct large parts of their lives through digital platforms. Rather than replacing relationships outright, AI is beginning to occupy a narrower but increasingly normalised role: a permanent conversational layer that exists somewhere between journaling, therapy, search engines, and friendship.
Respondents themselves often framed AI less as a replacement for people than as a way to reduce emotional friction. Many described AI conversations as easier because the systems do not interrupt, react emotionally, or create the social pressure that can accompany difficult conversations with friends, partners, or family members.
Across all surveyed regions, 38% of respondents said they believe people are becoming emotionally reliant on AI tools without fully recognising the extent of that dependency. Meanwhile, 44% said they expect AI to play a larger role in emotional support and personal guidance over the coming years.
The findings do not suggest that AI is replacing human relationships. They do, however, point to a growing change in where younger adults go first when trying to process stress, uncertainty, or emotional discomfort. As conversational AI becomes embedded in everyday life, the boundary between private reflection and machine-assisted emotional support may become increasingly difficult to separate.
About MyIQ:
MyIQ was launched in 2024 and is used by over a million individuals worldwide. It is a digital self-knowledge platform that offers more than an IQ score, with over 9 million completed tests across the various test categories, cognitive, personality, and relationships, all with personalised, actionable insights. The platform offers over 25 brain games, more than 150 intelligence puzzles, over 20 hours of expert video content, and 300+ available lessons on emotional intelligence, problem-solving, innovation, confidence-building, and decision-making. Through its IQ test, full-spectrum personality assessment, and relationship insight quiz, MyIQ delivers structured, personalized feedback that helps individuals better understand their inner world and behaviour.
MyIQ was launched in 2024 and is used by over a million individuals worldwide. It is a digital self-knowledge platform that offers more than an IQ score, with over 9 million completed tests across the various test categories, cognitive, personality, and relationships, all with personalised, actionable insights. The platform offers over 25 brain games, more than 150 intelligence puzzles, over 20 hours of expert video content, and 300+ available lessons on emotional intelligence, problem-solving, innovation, confidence-building, and decision-making. Through its IQ test, full-spectrum personality assessment, and relationship insight quiz, MyIQ delivers structured, personalized feedback that helps individuals better understand their inner world and behaviour.