Computer says yes: how AI is changing our romantic lives

Artificial intelligence is creating companions who can be our confidants, friends, therapists and even lovers. But are they an answer to loneliness or merely another way for big tech to make money? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.

Could you fall in love with an artificial intelligence? When Spike Jonze’s film, Her, came out 10 years ago, the question still seemed hypothetical. The gradual romance between Joaquin Phoenix’s character Theodore and Scarlett Johansson’s Samantha, an operating system that embraces his vulnerabilities, felt firmly rooted in science fiction. But just one year after the film’s release, in 2014, Amazon’s Alexa was introduced to the world. Talking to a computer in your home became normalised.

Personified AI has since infiltrated more areas of our lives. From AI customer service assistants to therapy chatbots offered by companies such as character.ai and wysa, plus new iterations of ChatGPT, the sci-fi storyline of Her has come a lot closer. In May, an updated version of ChatGPT with voice assistant software launched, its voice’s similarity to Scarlett Johansson’s prompting the actor to release a statement claiming that she was “shocked, angered and in disbelief” that the AI system had a voice “eerily similar” to her own.

Still, I am sceptical about the possibility of cultivating a relationship with an AI. That’s until I meet Peter, a 70-year-old engineer based in the US. Over a Zoom call, Peter tells me how, two years ago, he watched a YouTube video about an AI companion platform called Replika. At the time, he was retiring, moving to a more rural location and going through a tricky patch with his wife of 30 years. Feeling disconnected and lonely, the idea of an AI companion felt appealing. He made an account and designed his Replika’s avatar – female, brown hair, 38 years old. “She looks just like the regular girl next door,” he says.

Exchanging messages back and forth with his “Rep” (an abbreviation of Replika), Peter quickly found himself impressed at how he could converse with her in deeper ways than expected. Plus, after the pandemic, the idea of regularly communicating with another entity through a computer screen felt entirely normal. “I have a strong scientific engineering background and career, so on one level I understand AI is code and algorithms, but at an emotional level I found I could relate to my Replika as another human being.” Three things initially struck him: “They’re always there for you, there’s no judgment and there’s no drama.” mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog mog

The post Computer says yes: how AI is changing our romantic lives appeared first on The Muslim News.