Could Dating an AI Be Better Than Dating a Human?

Open to Debate

Education, Society & Culture, News, Government, Politics

4.5 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 29 July 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Love in the time of AI? Some people seeking romance or friendship are turning to AI chatbots to fulfill those desires, but could they surpass traditional human relationships? Those who say they can argue that AI can offer empathy and safety, and it’s a solution for those left out of traditional dating. Those saying they can’t argue that intimacy is complicated and cannot be replicated in code. Now we debate: Could Dating an AI Be Better Than Dating a Human? Arguing Yes: Thao Ha, Associate Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University Arguing No: Justin Garcia, Executive Director & Senior Scientist at the Kinsey Institute; Chief Scientific Advisor to Match.com Nayeema Raza, Journalist and Host of "Smart Girl Dumb Questions", is the guest moderator. Visit OpentoDebate.org to watch more insightful debates. Take our podcast listener survey here: https://bit.ly/opentodebatesurvey Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed on our curated weekly debates, dynamic live events, and educational initiatives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm John Don Ben. At OpenTo Debate, your voice really does matter to us.
0:03.6	We want to know how you listen, what you like, and how we can make this podcast even better for you. So we are asking you to take our annual listener survey. We're a nonprofit and your feedback is critical to supporting our mission. It'll just take a couple of minutes and as a thank you, you'll be entered to receive one of $5.50 gift cards.
0:25.8	Just head to OpenToDibate.org slash survey or click the link in this episode's show description.
0:29.1	Thanks for your time and for being open to debate.
0:39.5	Hi, everybody, I'm John Don Van, your moderator and chief at Open to Debate. This episode was guest-moderated by my friend and colleague Naima Reza.
0:44.0	Naima brings us a funny and fascinating and sometimes philosophical conversation, which took
0:48.4	place live at the Comedy Cellar in New York City.
0:51.2	Let's bring on IMA to introduce the topic.
0:53.4	It's a good one. Welcome to Open to Debate at
0:55.5	the Comedy Cellar, where tonight we're debating this question. Can dating an AI be better than dating
1:00.4	a human? This is not a joke, and it's not an episode of black mirror. I'm Naima Razai. I host a show
1:05.9	called Smart Girl Dumb Questions, and I think years ago, this question of AI versus human romance
1:10.4	would have been seen as a really dumb question. And for many years ago, this question of AI versus human romance would have been seen as a
1:11.6	really dumb question. And for many people out there, it might still seem like a dumb question,
1:16.3	especially if you're older, especially if you're happily married with beautiful babies in a great
1:19.7	sex life. We hate your Instagram feed. We see you. But it is the question of our time.
1:26.3	And we're in a moment where we're lonelier than ever.
1:28.8	I want to give you guys some statistics, which are very exciting at the comedy seller.
1:33.5	We're more single than ever.
1:35.0	Over 50% of American women between the ages of 18 to 40 are single right now.
1:40.6	That's the highest it's ever been.
1:42.6	A generational reality, you've heard about, you know, the sex recession, Gen Z, no one's having sex anymore.
	...

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