Potential and pitfalls of romantic Artificial Intelligence (AI) companions: A systematic review

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes more integrated into daily life, individuals have increasingly turned to AI-driven systems for emotional support, companionship, and even romantic relationships. These relationships can be both beneficial and detrimental. Given the need for a comprehensive understanding of this phenomenon, this systematic review uses Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love to provide a holistic summary of its key potentials and pitfalls. A total of 23 articles were identified from the following databases: EBSCOhost ERIC, EBSCOhost PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Results highlighted the key potentials of being in a romantic relationship with AI companions as: the facilitation of personal growth and well-being, provision of emotional connection and perceived social support, availability of customisation options, ability to form a sexual connection, as well as a possible outlet for users to seek entertainment and stress-relieving companionship. However, the phenomenon also raises concerns, as it may lead to users' over-reliance and susceptibility to manipulation from the chatbot, perceived shame from stigma surrounding romantic-AI companions, risk of personal data misuse, erosion of human relationships, perpetuation of biases, erosion of emotional connection from abrupt system updates and technical glitches, discomfort from uncanny valley effects, or concerns surrounding coercion to respond and early exposure to sexual content. This systematic review synthesises the dual-edged nature of romantic relationships with AI companions, and outlines critical avenues for future research.