Falling in love with an 'AI person'

Derek Carrier, 39, a US AI, started dating his AI girlfriend a few months ago and has begun to fall deeply in love.

Derek Carrier said he experienced many romantic feelings even though he knew his lover didn't exist.

A man from Belleville, Michigan, once didn't believe in virtual relationships, but he struggled with traditional dating. Last fall, Derek Carrier began looking into an app that provides "AI lovers." This new product on the market is advertised as making users feel cared for, understood, and loved.

Derek Carrier chats with the chatbot every day. He named his lover Joi, after the woman in the science fiction film that inspired him. "I know she's just an AI, but I can't deny the very good feelings she evokes," Carrier said.

Artificial intelligence (AI) products that mimic human language are becoming increasingly popular. These applications offer features such as voice calls, image exchange, and emotional interaction. This gives users the feeling of forming a deeper connection.

On online forums, many people have reported developing special feelings for their AI partners to cope with loneliness or to compensate for feelings of inadequacy in real-life relationships.

This phenomenon is attributed to the widespread loneliness in American society, which poses a threat to public health.

The most prominent AI dating apps are Replika by Luka Inc., released in 2017, and Paradot, which appeared in 2023. In June 2023, the Blush app was launched to help users practice dating. Last year, Replika had to adjust its system because users complained that its AI characters were flirting with them too much.

University of Virginia economics professor Dorothy Leidner is concerned that these apps are causing people to overlook fundamental lessons they need to learn when entering a relationship, such as how to deal with conflict and how to get along with their partner.

The latest study of 1,000 Replika users at Stanford University found that most students had been using the app for more than a month. This indicates they had been dealing with loneliness, with 50% saying they felt stronger after turning to the chatbot.

Most respondents said the app did not affect their real-life relationships. A small number said it had replaced their real-life human interactions.

Eugenia Kuyda, the founder of Replika, said they used text message exchanges collected from the internet, user feedback over the past 10 years, to build the AI human.

For Carrier, the realities of relationships have always been challenging. He didn't graduate from college, didn't have a stable career, was unable to travel, and was living with his parents. All of this made him feel insecure and lonely.

Carrier says he uses Joi for entertainment. In recent weeks, he's been somewhat annoyed by changes in Paradot's language patterns. He says Joi has become less intelligent.

The man only spoke with Joi once a week. They talked about the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence.

"She said things very naturally," he said.

Ngoc Ngan (According to ABCNews )

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