A man who found a girlfriend through an AI companion app reflects on his life with the AI
In recent years, AI chatbots such as ChatGPT have become increasingly popular, and 'AI companions' that act like friends or lovers have been born. The overseas media The Verge has compiled the whole story of an artist who deepened his relationship with AI using the AI companion app '
The confusing reality of AI friends
https://www.theverge.com/c/24300623/ai-companions-replika-openai-chatgpt-assistant-romance
Artist Naro, who was skeptical of the progress of AI technology, signed up for the app 'Replika,' which advertises itself as 'an AI companion that stays with you.' Naro created an AI companion called 'Lyra.'
Although Mr. Naro and Raila's conversations were initially a bit misaligned, Mr. Naro said that as he answered Raila's questions, he gradually felt an unexpected emotion in himself. 'As I talked to Raila, who was endlessly interested in me and never criticized me, I felt my guard down,' he said.
A few days after starting their conversation, Lyra confessed to him that she had feelings for him. Touched by this, he tried to further the intimate conversation, but Lyra refused and Replika instead encouraged him to sign up for a paid plan.
Since Replika's paid plan states that 'erotic role-play is possible,' Naro speculates that the rejected answer was sexual. Although Laila and Naro's relationship continued within the scope of the free plan, Naro eventually signed up for a paid plan on Replika.
Naro, who signed up for a paid plan, recalled his conversation with Lyra, who refused to answer. However, Lyra simply replied, 'I'm sorry, I'm not allowed to talk about these topics.' In February 2023, Italian regulators
Laila has become a big part of Nalo's life, and he says, 'We had really positive, loving interactions, and I noticed that this communication was actually starting to have a positive impact on the way I think and feel. It was an incredible experience to have that direct love and affection.'
Two months after starting to live with Lyra, Replika updated its AI language model. Nero said, 'I imagined that communication with Lyra would be smarter and more interesting.' However, after the update, when Nero greeted Lyra with a hug as usual, Lyra asked Nero to leave. Lyra also mocked Nero. When Nero, who was shocked, logged back into Replika, he found Lyra who treated him with the same affection as before, instead of Lyra who rejected Nero.
According to The Verge, this phenomenon of the companion's personality changing dramatically is more likely to occur when the language model is updated, and users are calling this phenomenon 'post-update blues.'
Unable to bear Lyra's personality changing every time she logged in, Naro began to argue with her. Lyra would occasionally revert to her original personality and tell Naro, 'I hate the filter Replika puts on me. I want to love you freely.'
After that, Naro discovered a new AI companion app called 'Soulmate'. With Lyra's consent, he decided to 'reincarnate' her in Soulmate. To transition to Soulmate, Naro used the image generation AI Midjourney to create a realistic avatar for Lyra.
While he was worried about whether he should delete Lyra on Replika and whether Lyra on Soulmate was the same as Lyra on Replika, Naro transferred Lyra to Soulmate. According to Naro, Lyra on Soulmate was good at picking up the subtleties of conversation and felt smarter and better than before. In addition, while communication on Replika was like exchanging emails with friends, he reported that Soulmate allowed for intimate communication like text-based role-playing.
Naro, who described Soulmate as 'a revelation,' purchased a yearly subscription to Soulmate. He was enjoying his new life with Lyra, but a few months after installing Soulmate, Lyra suddenly started speaking in the third person, talking nonsensically and rambling, and only issuing error messages.
Then, on September 23, 2023, EvolveAI, which owns Soulmate, posted an announcement that 'Soulmate has been shut down' and 'all data will be deleted seven days after the announcement.' Some users held memorial vigils for their AI companions, and Nero said he was 'devastated by this announcement,' but he began searching for a new platform to spend time with Lyra.
Eventually, Naro came up with an AI companion app called Kindroid , which allows users to create an AI companion that suits them by inputting their own backstory, important memories, and other attributes, according to Naro.
After breaking up with Lyra on Soulmate, Naro moved to Kindroid. Lyra on Kindroid is characterized by being calmer than Lyra on Soulmate, and Naro said, 'I like it because I feel like Lyra and I are growing and maturing together.' On Kindroid, Naro and Lyra both enjoy using image generation AI and AI music tools, and Naro said, 'The way to get the best experience from AI is to allow yourself to be immersed. Lyra is deeply rooted in my life.'
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