What the Iowa survey measured
The survey was run by University of Iowa researchers through SurveyHarvest, the national survey platform of the university’s Center for Social Science Innovation. Verasight fielded it from 17 to 28 April 2026, and results were weighted to represent US adults. The team, led by Sang Jung Kim of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication with colleagues from social work and nursing, asked about AI use alongside sleep, social isolation and mental health.
76% said they use AI tools at least occasionally on a typical day; 24% never do. Use was about 80% among adults aged 18–29 and 30–49, against 65% among those 65 and older, and 84% among four-year graduates against 68% among those with a high-school education or less.
Who uses AI for companionship
Of the 759 respondents who use AI, 12% said they use it for companionship or conversation. Age made the biggest difference; gender and party affiliation made little.
| Age group | Iowa: share of AI users who use AI for companionship or conversation | Pew: share of all adults who use chatbots for companionship |
|---|---|---|
| 18–29 | 16% | 7% |
| 30–49 | 17% | 6% |
| 50–64 | 6% | 2% |
| 65+ | 4% | 1% |
| All | 12% | 4% |
The two columns are not directly comparable. Iowa’s base is AI users; Pew’s is all US adults, and Pew asked about companionship separately from “emotional support or advice” (10%). Both point the same way: companionship is a minority use, concentrated among adults under 50.
Do AI companion users trust chatbots over therapists?
This is the finding the researchers called surprising. Nearly 58% of companionship users agreed that AI chatbots can demonstrate better problem-solving skills than a human therapist, against about 26% of other AI users.
Empathy was a different story. Only 16% of companionship users disagreed with the statement that chatbots cannot achieve empathy comparable to a human therapist (12% among other AI users). In Kim’s words, most did not think AI could understand their feelings as well as a human therapist could.
Read together, companionship users seem to separate two things: practical advice, where many rate chatbots highly, and being understood, where most still prefer a person. That matches the gap described in our article on AI and human emotional support experiments.
What the survey does not show
- It does not show that chatbots are better than therapists. It measures opinions.
- It cannot show cause and effect. The team’s analysis of loneliness, sleep difficulties and depressive symptoms is still under peer review.
- Fieldwork was in April 2026; the results were released in October.
- Iowa uses one combined category, “companionship or conversation”, which is broader than Pew’s “companionship”.
A checklist if you use a companion app for advice
- Does the app say clearly that it is not a therapist or a medical service?
- Does it point to crisis resources when a conversation turns to self-harm?
- Can you see and delete what it remembers about your health or mood?
- Does it encourage contact with people, or try to keep you in the app?
- On roleplay platforms, can you switch off the persona when you want plain advice?
For wider usage data, see how many people use AI companions; for research on well-being, see the Stanford loneliness study.
Related on CompanionRank
AI vs Human Emotional Support: What 5 Experiments Found How Many People Use AI Companions? 2026 Survey Data AI Companions and Loneliness: What the Stanford Study Found AI Companion Mood Systems and Emotional Wellbeing (2026)Frequently asked questions
What share of Americans use AI for companionship?
It depends on the base. The University of Iowa survey found 12% of AI users use it for companionship or conversation. Pew Research Center found 4% of all US adults use chatbots for companionship.
Do AI companion users think chatbots are better than therapists?
Nearly 58% of companionship users in the Iowa survey agreed that chatbots can show better problem-solving skills than a human therapist, but most did not think AI understands feelings as well.
Which age groups use AI for companionship most?
Adults aged 18 to 29 (16%) and 30 to 49 (17%) among AI users in the Iowa survey. The share falls to 6% for ages 50 to 64 and 4% for 65 and older.
Can an AI companion replace therapy?
Neither survey shows that. The Iowa data measures opinions, not outcomes. If you are struggling, contact a licensed professional or a crisis line.