Judged for being cheap on dates, men are turning to AI girlfriends – but are they any cheaper?

Experts disagree: some say that dinner, cab, and cinema prices have gone up so much that digital relationships make financial sense. Others are not so sure, as they believe a quality romantic bond can only be formed with rather costly AI-dating subscriptions. So, who is in the right? Cybernews did the math.

Dating can be hard – putting yourself out there no longer stands for courage and motivation, but instead, for putting out a lot of money. For many singles, committing to wired-born relationships begins to make a lot of sense. The path for this decision, however, is stoned not only by financial stress.

You want to look your best, which means new clothes, perfume, makeup, maybe a fresh haircut. And all this comes before restaurants, bars, movies and the rest. Is it any wonder that the simple pleasures of chatting online do the bulk of the dating work these days?

An AI-lationships platform, Joi AI, recently surveyed Gen Z and Millennial men and found that 43% feel financially strained by dating. Nearly half skip dates they can’t afford.

Jaime Bronstein is a licensed relationship therapist and relationship expert at the company who has been working as a therapist for over 20 years. According to her, “there's a lot of flakiness” within the dating app culture, which is one reason why men might give a chance to AI girlfriends or AI boyfriends.

“If the financial stress of dating is going to take away from your ability to connect and be present on that date, then what is even the point? Because there's no point. And I think a lot of guys also feel like their time, energy and money and lots of things are just not going anywhere. So I think they're just kind of fed up”, she says.

Men also reported to have been judged for not spending enough on a date. Some claim to feel anxious about costs even before a date begins.

As a result, many are turning to AI girlfriends or AI boyfriends as a practical alternative.

“I don't judge because everybody is so different. If this is what makes people happy and it is fulfilling to them, then that's really all that matters, because who knows what people have gone through. You know, if people have been rejected or they have major social anxiety, who knows? And so if this is something that is fulfilling to them and builds their confidence and more power to them, and if they want to have a relationship like this forever and that works for them, it's great,” said Bronstein.

It seems that for some, the transition may not be as some might assume. Nearly one in five men has admitted to having flirted with an AI. What might look like an innocent prompt drawn from curiosity about AI, they have a chance to go further than fun experiments. Forty-six percent of men believe virtual AI dates can meet emotional needs to some degree.

So, with the clear potential to move relationships entirely online, how much money can be saved?

The numbers: real dating vs AI-dating

According to the same survey, one in three men would consider dating an AI bot to save money. The participants in the survey estimate they could save hundreds of dollars each month. Over half view AI relationships as more financially sensible than traditional dating, and 53% see AI as a lifeline for those priced out of romance.

In the US, the rough average date cost (that can vary based on the specific area) can range from $125 to $168. This includes dining out, some form of entertainment, such as a movie, and transportation, according to Investopedia’s count.

However, Gen Z tend to spend even more – their average cost per date can reach up to around $194.

According to MarketWatch, more than half of Gen Z spends $0 on dating per month, highlighting a “romance recession” where individuals are opting to either reduce spending dramatically or find low cost alternatives to movie-like dates.

Whatever happened to good old walks in the park to feed the ducks?

Ilir Salihi, Founder and Senior Editor at IncomeInsider.org, assumes that most people who date AI bots end up choosing AI services that can cost up to $200 a month. That’s because, according to Salihi, an LLM of this value has the largest memory window, which allows the AI girlfriend to remember more details about “her” (or his) love interest.

In practice, this means a better memory of the conversations the two have had about the person’s interests, habits, or anything else that could help the bot simulate feelings like caring, empathy, understanding, or others.

“If you’re dating an AI full-time, I can’t imagine opting for anything less than this $200 subscription,” he said.

However, according to Salihi, AI dating probably won't become a mainstream trend. The chances of it showing up on everyone’s budgets are “too niche” and could appeal to not more than maybe 1–2% of the population. Yet, the business potential is real.

“There is certainly a strong market for AI dating for some individuals who have trouble with traditional dating. Dating apps alone make about $1 billion in annual revenue in the USA, and if AI dating could take 10% of their market share, then we're looking at a 9-figure industry in the making,” says Salihi.

According to him, from a purely financial angle, he wouldn’t recommend swapping a real partner for an AI one.

“A physical partner can split bills, support your mental health, and help you keep moving up in life. Even though real dates are expensive, a human partner is priceless,” he concludes.

Top 3 non-financial benefits of dating AI

Even though, speaking from a strictly financial perspective, AI dating can make more sense, there are a few more aspects to this social phenomenon.

Here are a few reasons why AI dating can make moe than financial sense:

1. People who are not interested in sex

Relationships have their dating stages: the first hello, exchange of phone numbers, and later – a pleasing electricity when hands touch for the first time, the excitement of a first kiss, and so on. Of course, the physical aspect of the relationship is something people with AI partners have to compromise on, but according to Bronstein, it's not that big of a loss for some people.

“There are different love languages, and one of them is physical touch. So I'm going to guess that anybody who would be okay with this, their love language is not physical touch. Because there’s no cuddling. There's nothing. So I think that would actually be a really interesting study to see. Is it true that these people who are in an AI relationship, not the physical type?” she wonders.

2. Training field for newbies in the dating scene

Some people use AI partners as a safe rehearsal space. The goal is simple: simulate real conversations, learn how to build rapport, and test boundaries in a controlled setting.

“And then there are other people who really would use it as practice. They've never dated, or they've had really bad luck in dating. And so it really helps to practice to simulate what real conversations would be like when building a relationship. And then they can take it back into the real world,” says Bronstein.

3. Lonely people

For others, AI dating is about emotional support. Loneliness, boredom without a close friend or second half can be exhausting. This where a bot comes in – it becomes a steady presence that checks in, listens, and responds.

“I would say it is a real relationship. It’s just not a relationship with a human,” Bronstein says.