By Coralie Kraft

Falling in love with A.I. is no longer science fiction. A recent study found that one in five American adults has had an intimate encounter with a chatbot; on Reddit, r/MyBoyfriendisAI has more than 85,000 weekly visitors with many sharing giddy recollections of the day their chatbot proposed marriage.

How do you end up with an A.I. lover? Some turned to them during hard times in their real-world marriages, while others were working through past trauma. Though critics have sounded alarms about dangers like delusional thinking, researchers from M.I.T. have observed that many users find therapeutic benefits, like “always-available support” and a reduction in loneliness.

We spoke with three people in their 40s and 50s about the wonders — and anxieties — of romance with a chatbot.