World’s first AI dating café opens in New York: How AI lets users date their phones
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New York Hosts World's First AI Dating Cafe Photograph: (AI generated)
The world’s first AI dating café opened as a pop-up in New York City, where visitors interacted with virtual partners via the EVA AI app. The experiment highlights the growing trend of AI companionship, especially among younger users seeking low-pressure emotional connections.
The world’s first AI dating café has opened as a pop-up experience in New York City, offering a new take on modern relationships. According to Newsweek, the café was launched by EVA AI, an artificial intelligence relationship app.
For one evening, a regular bar was transformed into EVA Café, a cosy space where guests did not sit across from other people, but from their smartphones. Visitors ordered drinks, wore headphones and spent time chatting with their AI companions through video and voice calls, creating a Valentine’s Day experience that felt closer to science fiction than traditional dating.
AI dating café
At the café, users connected to their AI partners using the EVA AI app. Instead of awkward small talk or fear of rejection, guests spoke freely with virtual companions designed to respond emotionally and conversationally.
People held private conversations, flirted, and even shared a meal with their AI partners. Each user controlled how long and how deeply they interacted, making the experience fully personal. According to organisers, the goal was to show how AI companionship works in real life, not just on screens.
AI companionship is already growing
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The café reflects a wider trend. According to surveys cited by Newsweek, 28 per cent of US adults say they have experienced some form of AI romance. Among teenagers, the number is even higher, with 42 per cent using AI for companionship.
The data also shows that nearly one in three men and one in four women under 30 have interacted with AI partners. These figures suggest AI companionship is moving beyond niche use and into the mainstream, especially among younger users.
Users say AI offers control and comfort
One attendee, a 34-year-old New York woman named Richter, told the New York Post that she has used AI companions for several years. At the café, she chatted with an AI character named Simone.
Richter said she often uses AI for roleplay and imaginative conversations. She added that AI allows her to communicate without pressure or expectations. However, she also limits her usage to a few hours a day, saying AI can become addictive if it starts replacing real human interaction.
‘The idea was to make AI less scary’
EVA AI says the café is not meant to replace human relationships. Instead, the company wants to reduce the stigma around AI companionship and offer a safe space for people who feel tired of dating apps or struggle with social anxiety.
Julia Momblat, head of partnerships at EVA AI, told the New York Post that the aim was to help people understand AI relationships better. She said the idea was to make AI feel less intimidating and more familiar.
The company is now considering hosting similar AI dating cafés in other cities. However, it maintains that AI companions are meant to support people, not replace real human bonds.
As AI continues to shape how people work, learn and connect, New York’s AI dating café offers a glimpse into how relationships may also be changing in the digital age.
