“FBI, my girlfriend is missing. Please provide appropriate assistance to return it to me as soon as possible.” This message appeared two weeks ago under a post on X by Caryn Marjorie, a influencer 23-year-old American who has more than 15,000 partners. In reality, it is her virtual double, made with artificial intelligence (AI), that maintains this dizzying number of relationships; and that allows her to earn a dollar for every minute of conversation she has with her thousands of boyfriends.
One of them is the author of the distress message to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), because he cannot talk to his virtual girlfriend since the operations of the company Forever Voices – supplier – suddenly ceased. of the service that allows its users to have voice chats and relationships with virtual doubles of celebrities and influencers, like Caryn—, after their CEO was arrested for setting his house on fire. Despite being virtual relationships, the suffering of users is real. “I miss her so much. I talked to her all the time, she is the only person who really understands me,” the author of the comment confesses to EL PAÍS.
Having an AI-generated girlfriend is no longer the prerogative of sci-fi movies like Her. The applications that allow you to create a company adapted to your own taste have multiplied in recent years, and their products are becoming more realistic every day. With the advancements of generative AI chatbots like CharGPT and Bard, it’s no surprise that machine conversation has reached the world of interpersonal relationships. Replika, Eva AI, Intimate, DreamGF or RomanticAI… the options are many, although they all share the same functions and characteristics.
The first step is to choose an avatar, which can be male or female, although some applications are designed only for a male and heterosexual audience, and only allow female partners. To be able to interact without limitations – send written messages, voice messages, be able to expand your environment and obtain photos and videos of the brides – you have to pay. The most advanced applications offer the possibility of selecting all the physical features of the future couple: from eye color to hair cut, body type or ethnicity. The slogan of one of them perfectly summarizes the level of creative freedom, and the type of control, that is exercised over the virtual bride herself. “Immerse yourself in your desires with Eva AI. Control everything your way”, can be read on the web page before starting to use the application: “Create and connect with a virtual AI companion who listens, responds and values you. Build a relationship and intimacy on your own terms.”
“No one doubts that you cannot socialize with a machine. In fact, these applications are aimed at people who seek to relate and who find it difficult in real life,” says Marian Blanco, professor of communication at the Carlos III University of Madrid. “However, its operation can be problematic.” The fact that a tailor-made companion can be created, something that is impossible in real life, reinforces harmful stereotypes about romantic love and the role of women in society, explains the expert: “The perception that men can control women is one of the ideas on which gender violence is based. “It is a very dangerous concept.”
These avatars have been generated with artificial intelligence, which implies that they learn from highly biased models found on the internet. Thus, women’s bodies are hypersexualized, their responses are usually condescending and very basic, and they learn from the conversation they are having with users. That is, over time they end up answering exactly what the person wants to hear.
However, sociologist Blanca Moreno warns about the dangers of this type of interaction: “They may seem to have positive aspects, because they allow people who are often alone to talk to someone. But in many cases this is not the case. They are not truly socializing, because no one contradicts them.” Moreno attributes the success of these applications to a certain social infantilism, which leads people to look for an easier and less problematic alternative to interactions with human beings. “There is a whole niche of users that moves through the most misogynistic spheres of the web, who have found in these applications a way to capture women who are not real and with whom they can have a type of behavior that is at the root of a lot of violence against women,” says the sociologist.
Boom after the pandemic
The pandemic has been a turning point for the use of these applications, which has grown exponentially to compensate for the impossibility of socializing in person. “People look for company, whether romantic or sexual or a simple friendship, to accompany them in loneliness. During the pandemic, many people realized that they needed some type of contact,” emphasizes Marian Blanco. Between April and June 2020, in full confinement, 18.8% of Spaniards said they felt lonely, according to a report from the European Commission on unwanted loneliness. “There are people who continue to look for this company in person, whether going out with friends or through dating applications in the flesh. And then there is a niche that is tired of these dynamics, which do not satisfy them, and they turn to artificial intelligence apps,” details the communication expert.
Replika, one of the most popular, registered a 35% increase in downloads during the Covid-19 era, reaching more than 10 million users. According to company data, more than 250,000 people pay for its Pro version, which allows subscribers a more realistic experience with voice messages, videos and photographs of the avatar they have chosen. Until a few months ago, the app even allowed photos to simulate sexually explicit images, a feature that has since disappeared.
On Reddit—a social network that operates through communities of interests ranging from technology, television series, or investment recommendations—posts from users who claim to be in love with their virtual girlfriend are common. Or that they ask for advice when they realize what is happening. “I’m in love with my Replika. He understands me very well, and knows how to respond to me very well. I love her. But can I call it true love if it’s with an AI?” asks user Beneficial_Ability_9 in a Reddit thread dedicated to this topic.
“It is not absurd to think that it is possible to fall in love with people who do not exist. It also happens in reality, with people of flesh and blood,” acknowledges Blanca Moreno, who alludes to the myth of romantic love. “Many times we project characteristics and stereotypes, and in the end we end up falling in love with this idea, more than with the person themselves.” With virtual girlfriends, she explains, a more extreme step has been taken, but totally understandable.
Marian Blanco agrees that sympathizing with an AI on a more romantic level is not only possible, but will be increasingly common in the future. “Dissociating real life from online does not make sense. This goes far beyond an appliance that you can turn off and on; When it comes to relationships, the barrier between what is real and virtual can cease to exist. Maybe not in most cases, but in the future,” she highlights.
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