(NewsNation) — Not too long ago, a quote coined by a famous CEO said, “Technology is best when it brings people together.” Well, a new survey is showing those words to be real.

Analysis from Vantage Point Counseling Services shows that a third of Americans have had a romantic relationship with an artificial intelligence system. Out of more than 1,000 U.S. adults, 28% were intimate or romantically linked to the system, according to the study.

“AI is quickly becoming part of daily life,” says Michael Salas, Vantage Point Counseling Services. “People lean on it to save time, automate tasks, and ask for advice.”

“So it isn’t surprising that some are also curious about whether it can offer friendship or even romance. The surprising part is how common this already is.”

The findings also revealed ChatGPT was the best platform that humans feel the most connected to, followed by Character.ai, Alexa, Siri, and Gemini. Additionally, adults in relationships are pursuing intimacy with AI, while half of adults 60 or older acknowledged AI intimacy isn’t cheating.

“For some couples, an AI relationship feels harmless,” added Salas. “For others, it crosses a line. The important part is having honest conversations about where those boundaries are.”

What’s driving the human-AI romantic relationships?

What seems to be the driving force behind Americans becoming romantically connected with AI is due to a person’s feelings of loneliness, isolation, and low self-esteem.

The explosion of AI from three years ago helped introduce a new era of chatbots that have proven to be smart, quick-witted, argumentative, helpful, and sometimes aggressively romantic.

“We have a high degree of loneliness and isolation, and AI is an easy solution for that,” said Olivia Gambelin, an AI ethicist. “It does ease some of that pain, and that is, I find, why people are turning towards these AI systems and forming those relationships.”

Outside of people falling in love with their AI companions, others are developing deep friendships.

“As technology continues to develop, we’ll see perceived emotional and romantic love and support to be more accessible as AI develops,” said Alexandra Cromer with Thriveworks.