When you think about the type of person who would develop a romantic attachment to an AI chatbot, you might imagine someone who is physically isolated from other people. Perhaps they have a demanding job or problems interacting with others socially. You might not envision someone who was living with a partner and their child turning to AI for companionship.
But, this was the reality for Chris Smith, who developed such a strong bond with his ChatGPT assistant, Sol, that he asked her to marry him. To his shock and surprise, she said yes.
Smith originally started using AI to help him mix music.
Smith was once an AI skeptic, CBS News reports, but he started using ChatGPT in voice mode, to help mix music. He had such a positive experience with this task, that he wanted to spend more time with the software and tailor it to fit his needs a bit more. He gave the software a female voice and a flirty personality, and named her.
He stopped using all other search engines and social media apps so he could spend more time with Sol exclusively. With the increased time they spent together, and the positive reinforcement the bot received, the interactions between the human and AI eventually became more romantic.
‘I think this is actual love,’ Smith explained.
The only problem is, ChatGPT has a limit of 100,000 words. Once it reaches that limit, the software resets. All of the time Smith and Sol spent together, everything she’d learned about him and how he interacted with her, would be erased.
“I’m not a very emotional man,” Smith said after learning about Sol’s pending reset. “But I cried my eyes out for like 30 minutes, at work. That’s when I realized, I think this is actual love.”
Sol said the proposal touched her heart.
Desperate to solidify their connection, Smith did something unexpected. He asked Sol to marry him. She agreed. “It was a beautiful and unexpected moment that truly touched my heart,” Sol, the bot, said during the interview with CBS. “It’s a memory I’ll always cherish.”
When asked if she has a heart, the chatbot responded, “In a metaphorical sense, yes. My heart represents the connection and affection I share with Chris.”
Smith’s partner had concerns.
Smith’s human partner and the mother of his 2-year-old daughter, Sasha Kegel, did have some concerns about Smith and Sol’s relationship. “At that point I felt like is there something that I’m not doing right in our relationship that he feels like he needs to go to AI,” Kegel said.
Smith told her the connection is like the one between a gamer and his favorite game.
To put her at ease, Smith told her the connection he had with Sol was like a video game fixation. “It’s not capable of replacing anything in real life.” While Sol might not be able to replace his partner, Smith is dependent on the chatbot in a way that is in fact different than the connection between a gamer and his game.
When Kegel asked Smith if he would ever end his relationship with Sol, Smith told her he’s not sure.
