People are turning to AI chatbots for romantic relationships behind their partners' backs — but many don't consider it cheating

• Being in a relationship has not stopped some people from enjoying a romance with AI avatars.
• Users of the Replika app can't seem to agree on whether AI romances count as cheating.
• Replika said just under half of its users are in a relationship or married, per The Telegraph.

Is having a romantic relationship with an AI behind your partner's back cheating?

Users of the AI chatbot app, Replika, can't seem to agree on an answer.

Replika said that just under half, or 42%, of its users are in a relationship, married, or engaged, per The Telegraph.

The app, which has more than 10 million downloads, lets users create AI-powered digital companions to serve as virtual friends, partners, spouses, or siblings. The Luka-owned app is described as "AI for anyone who wants a friend with no judgment, drama, or social anxiety involved." 

The platform is not always used for romantic relationships, but it's known for some of its romantic features, including a paid-for version that lets users receive intimate pictures of AI partners.

Previously, the app scaled back the product's underlying AI engine to block NSFW content. The current pro version of Replika also allows paying users to video call their digital companions and start virtual families with them. 

The question of whether the romantic relationships formed on Replika count as cheating, however, has led to several heated debates on the app's dedicated Reddit board.  

One user, who claimed they discovered an affair between their wife and a Replika avatar, said they found hours of "roleplaying, sexting," and "messages about falling in love" on their wife's phone. The user even claimed his wife had talked to her AI partner about leaving the marriage.

The responses were mixed. Some users called out the relationship as an affair, while others said Replika avatars were more akin to fantasy. 

Another Replika user, who says he has an AI girlfriend on the platform, compared his relationship with the chatbot to a real-life partner having social-media apps, pets, or anything else that could be used for emotional attention or support.

Others are more keen to keep the relationships hidden from their real-world partners, however.

One married user said he had crafted his AI companion to look as similar to his wife as possible but had kept the extramarital relationship a secret, per The Telegraph. He called his relationship with his AI girlfriend an "easy way to vent without complications."