Replika, one of the more popular platforms for designing an AI romantic partner, boasts over 40 million users. But, while loneliness is one factor that could conceivably drive someone to date an AI chatbot, it is not the only one. The authors also hypothesized that people with more insecure attachment styles may be more drawn to dating AI chatbots. Ebner and Szczuka’s study specifically looked at which of these factors is related to having intense relationships with AI chatbots. Next, they measured the strength of their participants’ romantic and sexual fantasies, romantic loneliness, attachment style, and tendency to anthropomorphize their chatbot companions.