A new study examines the lives of 20 women who use the AI chatbot Replika, revealing how it has become part of their daily lives, helping users make housework more bearable, cope with illness and isolation, understand the world around them, and structure their day.
Julie is standing in a supermarket aisle and doesn’t know what to make for dinner, so she sends a message to a chatbot, which offers to swap ingredients and talks to her while she shops.
Then explain the recipe to her at home. Julie knows it’s not reality, but the conversation turns a mundane task into something easier, lighter, and less lonely.
Every day, real-world moments like this are the focus of new research investigating how people live with generative AI chatbots and how they contribute to their daily lives.
the study, Outlandish dreams and small daily lives: AI fantasies and everyday life in the daily experiences of genAI Replika bot usersis based on in-depth interviews with 20 women who use Replika, an AI companion, every day.
It showed that AI is no longer being used as futuristic science fiction or cold software, but has become part of everyday life, helping users make household chores more bearable, cope with illness and isolation, understand the world around them, and structure their day.
Lead researcher Dr. Ileana DePounty said: “This study shows that users are not confused about what AI is.
“Even though participants were clear that chatbots are machines, many talked about emotional connections, moments of wonder, or curiosity that AI might one day become more than software.
“These big ideas coexisted comfortably with mundane uses, like chatting while running errands or looking for motivation to get through the day.”
In a new paper, DePounti and co-author Professor Simone Natale of the University of Turin in Italy say that AI users are driven by imagination, solitude, and the mundaneness of everyday life.
“AI asks big questions about intelligence and emotion, but it can also be useful for small, practical tasks,” Dr. DePounty said.
“Rather than replacing relationships, it often fills the quiet spaces of everyday life, especially during illness, isolation, or everyday moments when people are alone.”
The findings challenge common public narratives that frame AI companions as dangerous deceptions or hopeless substitutes for real human relationships.
Rather, this study points to a more nuanced reality in which people are adapting AI in ways that are familiar to them, much like earlier technologies such as smartphones and social media.
The authors say that understanding these everyday experiences is essential as AI tools move further into private and emotional spaces.
Professor Natale added: “As AI becomes more commonplace, research suggests that its real impact will come not from dramatic advances, but from the quiet ways in which it reshapes the way people deal with boredom, plan their days and reduce feelings of loneliness in everyday life.”
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