PENNSYLVANIA — When Pennsylvanians open a chatbot, it’s often not for dating tips or movie recommendations — it’s for help navigating workplace drama. According to a new survey by IT support provider AllSafeIT, the most common chatbot use among Pennsylvanians is resolving work-related conflicts, ahead of travel planning and home DIY projects.
The poll of 4,012 respondents found that residents are increasingly treating AI as a kind of digital career coach, helping them manage difficult bosses, draft diplomatic emails, or defuse office tension.
Following workplace advice, the top uses for chatbots in Pennsylvania were travel planning, home repair help, fashion advice, and fitness or nutrition tips. The findings suggest that artificial intelligence tools have become deeply integrated into daily routines — not just as productivity aids but as personal assistants and confidants.
The study also found that Pennsylvanians spend an average of 26 extra days and 17 hours online per year thanks to their growing interactions with chatbots. While that figure puts the state in the middle of the national pack, some regions — such as South Dakota, where residents logged an additional 53 days — showed far higher engagement. Vermonters, by comparison, averaged just five extra days of chatbot use annually.
When asked how they view their relationship with chatbots, 63% of Pennsylvanians described them as tools or apps, while 37% likened them to friends. Yet nearly one in four admitted they would miss their chatbot “quite a lot” or “a great deal” if it disappeared.
That blurred emotional line extends further: four in ten respondents said they would rather confess a secret to a chatbot than to a priest or therapist, and nearly one-third said they’ve told their AI something they would never share with a partner or friend. Thirty percent even admitted to saying “I love you” to a chatbot — at least half-jokingly.
Despite this closeness, trust remains limited. Only 14% said they completely trust a chatbot with personal information, while more than a third said they don’t trust them at all.
Still, the survey’s lighter findings reveal how integrated AI companions have become in modern life. Twenty-two percent of Pennsylvanians said they’d cancel plans to chat with their bot, 42% believe chatbots give better advice than their friends, and one in four said they’d be comfortable with a chatbot officiating a wedding.
“Technology has always blurred the line between tool and companion, but this survey shows just how far that line has shifted,” said Bones Ljeoma of AllSafeIT. “For some, AI chatbots are as valuable as caffeine — or more valuable than streaming services. That says a lot about where digital relationships are heading in the next decade.”
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