We are delighted to welcome Brooke Schlesinger, YouGov (Australia) to talk through their work which explores AI companionship.

AI chatbots have moved further into everyday life, as tools for productivity and information, and as social and emotional actors embedded within people’s routines. As these technologies become more culturally present, YouGov wanted to better understand how Australians are negotiating this shift.

The first wave of research was conducted in 2025, and the second in early 2026. The 2026 wave explored more deeply the differing social roles AI chatbots are beginning to play: from companionship and emotional support to entertainment, intimacy, and everyday conversation.

This research also examines the self-reported impacts of these interactions beyond the screen itself: how engagement with AI may be influencing loneliness, social connection, behaviour, relationships, and broader perceptions of human interaction in contemporary Australian life.

Whilst the two waves of research focused on Australia, Brooke will also share some global findings on the subject at the end the talk.

We will then conclude with a q&a and discussion.

Brooke Schlesinger

Brooke is an Associate Director at YouGov in Sydney, specialising in qualitative and quantitative research at the intersection of culture, politics, and society. With over a decade of experience, she has led studies on social issues, political sentiment, and cultural trends, helping clients understand what people think, and why.

Her work is driven by a curiosity about how people engage with modern phenomena, and what those responses reveal about our values, our deepest desires, and the futures we may be moving toward. Brooke’s background includes roles at TED Talks and the Ad Council in New York, where she worked at the nexus of research, media and communications, and cultural insight. This experience, combined with academic training in history, gives her a distinctive ability to pair rigorous analysis with compelling storytelling.

Since joining YouGov, Brooke has designed and delivered custom research for government, public sector, and other organisations, as well as leading YouGov self-initiated research. Her work bridges the granular and the global: whether understanding how Australians respond to a specific issue, behaviour, or piece of creative, or identifying the broader mindsets shaping those responses. The result is insight that is both deeply human and strategically useful.

Brooke’s research has attracted national and international media coverage. Her 2025 study on Australians and AI companionship was featured across ABC platforms, reached millions of listeners, was cited in academic research, and led to an invitation to present internationally. Her analysis of Australians’ attitudes toward Artemis II also received significant coverage, including on ABC, and was featured on the Australian Space Agency’s homepage.

A dual citizen of the US and Australia, Brooke brings both local expertise and a global perspective.

Link to the first wave findings here

Register for this webinar here