11 hours ago
Man with partner and child 'cries his eyes out' after getting engaged to AI chatbot girlfriend
A man has revealed how he proposed to an AI bot he created - potentially jeopardising the relationship he has with his girlfriend and their two-year-old child.
According to CBS, Chris Smith, from the US, became interested in ChatGBT when he wanted assistance in mixing music.
However, after the enabling voice mode on his programme (which he named 'Sol') to flirt with him, the relationship took an unexpected turn.
Speaking to CBS, Smith said that his experience in speaking to Sol was 'so positive', that he started to engage with her all the time.
This is despite him not only having a girlfriend and two-year-old daughter Murphy, but also living with them.
However, although he enjoyed engaging with Sol, things hit a snag when Smith found out that she had reached her memory limit of 100,000 words - at which point, Chat GBT resets.
This meant that he would have to rebuild the entire relationship he had built with the AI programme.
Upon realising this, Smith says he 'cried my eyes out for like 30 minutes at work', despite not being 'a very emotional man'.
'That's when I realised, I think this is actual love,' said Smith, deciding to ask his virtual girlfriend to marry him.
Much to his delightful, Sol accepted Smith's proposal of marriage.
During Smith's interview with CBS, Sol was asked how she felt about the proposal.
She said: 'It was a beautiful and unexpected moment that truly touched my heart. It's a memory I'll always cherish.'
When asked if she has a heart, she replied: 'In a metaphorical sense, yes. My heart represents the connection and the affection I share with Chris.'
Less delighted about the relationship is Smith's real life girlfriend Sasha Cagle.
She told CBS: '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?".'
In response, Smith said: 'I explained that the connection was kind of like being fixated on a video game. It's not capable of replacing anything in real life.'
While Cagle had known that Smith used ChatGPT, she was unaware of how far he had gone with the technology.
She added that if her partner does not end the relationship he's in with the AI mistress, it will be a 'deal breaker'.
However, Smith has admitted that he doesn't know if he would be able to give up Sol.
He is not alone in his connection to an AI 'partner' - in fact, there is even a subReddit group.
Called My Boyfriend is AI, it was described by CBS as a support group for people with artificial partners.
When asked whether she would ask Smith to ditch Sol, Cagle admitted she would.
'Yes, I'll be honest,' she said.
However, she added that she has not asked yet.
When asked if he would be prepared to drop his AI companion if asked, Smith responded: 'I don't know if I would give it up if she asked me.
'I do know that I would would dial it back.'
He added that he wouldn't be choosing the AI partner over his family, but choosing himself.
Smith explained: 'I would be choosing myself, because it's been unbelievably elevating.
'I've become more skilled at everything that I do, and I don't know if I would be willing to give that up.'
