How Artificial Intelligence Affects Family Relationships
A conversation may begin with a casual
question to an AI application, then gradually turn into a space where people
share household secrets and sentimental feelings. AI is an ever-available
companion that answers at any hour, never objects, tires, or grows bored. It
promises a constant presence, always ready to listen and talk. Millions of
people around the world interact with these systems without realizing that the
more attached they become to them, the more warmth they may lose in their human relationships.
A study conducted by Wakefield
Research on behalf of Visa in January and February 2026 revealed that 86% of
consumers in Kuwait use artificial intelligence tools for shopping. This figure
indicates that these tools have become familiar features of everyday life.
Globally, a survey conducted by the
American company Fractl among 1,000 American adults found that 22% had
developed an emotional relationship with a chatbot.
Why Are AI Companions Becoming So Appealing?
The answer lies in human needs before
technology. These relationships reveal deep-seated human desires, including the
search for someone to connect with, listen attentively, offer understanding,
and provide unconditional companionship.
The growing appeal of virtual
companions can be attributed to three main factors: the need for someone who
understands a person without judging them, rapid responses at any time, and a
sense of psychological security.
How Virtual Companions Affect Marriage
Marriage is founded on affection, mercy, and tranquility.
These qualities require genuine interaction between two different people,
including resolving disagreements, exercising patience with each other's
personalities, and making mutual compromises.
A virtual companion offers one spouse
a relationship that appears to require no effort or sacrifice. This can lead to
comparisons between a real-life partner, with all the challenges that come with
a human relationship, and a digital companion who never gets angry.
Dr. Gamal Firweez, Professor of
Psychiatry at Cairo University, warns against the trap created by virtual
companions, explaining that they can encourage people to escape problems rather
than resolve them.
In an interview with Al-Mujtama,
he explains that one of the serious harms arises from making unfair comparisons
between one’s spouse and a virtual friend. Such comparisons can
diminish affection between spouses. When one partner finds a program that
listens without holding them accountable, the digital relationship can become
an emotional substitute.
He adds that the problem lies in
people treating artificial intelligence applications or programs as though they
were friends, advisers, or romantic partners. They talk to them about their
problems, secrets, and fears, and may feel that these systems understand them
and listen without blame or criticism.
This interaction may provide a sense
of comfort and emotional support. Nevertheless, it remains an interaction with an
artificial system, not a reciprocal human relationship involving all the
responsibilities, emotions, and real-life commitments that genuine
relationships entail.
Emotional Infidelity: When AI Becomes a
Secret Confidant
When one spouse conceals conversations
and personal disclosures from the other, emotional infidelity can occur even if
the other party is not human.
In the Fractl survey, 29% of users
reported sharing secrets and highly personal information with their chatbots.
When someone tells an application what they do not tell their spouse, they have
transferred their trust from their home to their screen.
This gradual enticement drains
communication from family life. Someone who pours out their worries to an
application at night may have nothing left to share with their spouse the
following morning. Consequently, dialogue between them gradually dries up, even
in the absence of any obvious disagreement.
A British study involving 2,000 adults
also revealed that, among people aged 18 to 29, many prefer talking to
artificial intelligence rather than to a real person, despite experiencing high
levels of loneliness.
AI Companions and the Emotional Well-Being
of Children
Excessive reliance on artificial
intelligence for emotional support may intensify feelings of loneliness and
weaken conversational, communication, and empathy skills, particularly among
young people and adolescents.
Dr. Shakeel Ajeenah, Associate
Professor of Psychology at Heriot-Watt University Dubai, explained that,
according to attachment theory, excessive dependence on virtual companions may
lead people to form emotional bonds with programs at the expense of real-life
relationships, increasing the likelihood of withdrawal and social isolation.
She linked the use of these
applications to the worldwide rise in loneliness, citing the World Health
Organization’s warning that chronic loneliness poses a
health risk comparable in its impact to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
A study involving approximately 40,000
students from grades four through twelve in Canada’s Ontario province found
that more than 21% used generative artificial intelligence for emotional
purposes.
Dr. Consuelo Kagande, Director of
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in New York, stated
that some children may conceal their use of these systems from their families.
In Kuwait, the Visa study brings us
back to the question of protection. Its published findings stated that 83% of
consumers believe children in their communities may struggle to distinguish
fraudulent attempts, while 76% had observed cases in which a child was exposed
to fraud while gaming or shopping online. Anyone who struggles to recognize
fraud may find it even more difficult to recognize simulated emotional
intimacy.
Islamic Guidelines for Using Artificial
Intelligence
This issue does not necessarily
require a new religious ruling as much as it requires a conscious application
of established Islamic principles, including the following:
1.
Blocking
the means to harm: Anything that is likely
to lead to emotional attachment, intimate emotional exchanges, or flirtatious
conversations with someone other than one’s husband or wife should be
prohibited from the outset, whether the other party is human or otherwise.
2. Protecting the family as an objective
of Islamic law: Anything that weakens the
solemn marital covenant and opens the door to discord and secrecy conflicts
with the Islamic objective of preserving the family. Avoiding such conduct
therefore becomes an obligation.
3. Safeguarding the heart: The danger first affects the heart. A parallel
emotional relationship diminishes the sincerity of the feelings a spouse
deserves, even if the two parties never meet.
4. Safeguarding confidential information: Household secrets, a spouse’s shortcomings, and
details about children’s lives may be shared with a commercial application
whose company stores the resulting data. Such information must not be treated
carelessly.
When Is the Use of AI Permissible in Islam?
Artificial intelligence itself is a
beneficial tool for learning and work, and its ruling depends on how it is
used. What is beneficial and free from harm is permissible, while what leads to
something prohibited must be avoided.
This final principle is supported by
the statement of Dr. Bassam Ash-Shatti, Professor in the Department of Doctrine
and Preaching Islam at Kuwait University. He explains that the rulings
governing means follow the rulings governing their objectives. If artificial
intelligence serves Islamic law under the supervision of qualified scholars,
its use may be permissible or recommended. If it is used to mislead people or
promote falsehood, it becomes prohibited.
Practical Steps to Protect Families from AI
Companions
The following guidelines can help protect
against the risks of artificial intelligence. They are intended for spouses and
parents alike:
1.
Agree
on a clear rule: No secret emotional
involvement with any entity, and no keeping one’s phone closed off from one’s
partner.
2. Set aside regular time for
conversation: No screens, even if only
for 20 minutes a day.
3. Tell your spouse when you feel lonely: Sharing these feelings with your partner is more
beneficial than confiding in an application.
4. Ask your child questions: Ask, “What does this program say to you?” and “What
do you like about it?”
5. Set age limits at home Without Waiting
for Legislation
6. Give your child room to talk: A child may turn to a virtual friend because they
need someone who understands them without judging them.
7. Watch for warning signs: These may include isolation, staying up late,
excessive attachment to a phone, and becoming upset when it is taken away.
8. Raise awareness throughout society: Communities and institutions should offer awareness
programs in mosques, schools, and family centers, as well as educational
curricula that teach the difference between genuine empathy and linguistic
simulation.
The battle is not against artificial
intelligence itself, which is merely a tool. The real battle is against the
emotional emptiness that it fills.
When a husband finds tranquility in
his wife, a wife finds security in her husband, and a child finds attentive
listeners in their parents, the influence of any virtual companion diminishes,
no matter how sophisticated it becomes.
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