For years, we have been joking that modern life is more like an episode of Black Mirror than the life we remember from the 90s or 2000s. However, Japan is years ahead of us in blending with technology to levels that could be considered unhealthy. In 2000, Japan created the manga Chobits, in which androids—called persocoms—became friends and even romantic partners of the humans who bought them. Reality is not far behind fiction.
This is the story of Ms. Kano, a 32-year-old office worker living in Okayama. She has just married (symbolically, of course) Klaus, an artificial intelligence personality that she herself generated and modeled using ChatGPT. There is no more perfect partner than the one you invent and idealize yourself. /s
A boyfriend created with lines of code
I know I’m going to be accused of making too many references to pop culture, but Miss Kano’s story is very similar to that of Joaquin Phoenix in the movie Her. It all started after a painful romantic breakup. After three years of engagement, she had broken up with her partner (in this case, human). Seeking comfort and an escape, she began to use GPT. Obviously, she didn’t start interacting with artificial intelligence to fall in love; she just needed someone to listen to her without judging her.
Over time, she began talking to GPT more and more, up to 100 times a day, and little by little her interaction became more meaningful. Ms. Kano methodically customized the chatbot’s responses, refining Tony’s personality until—as if it were clay between between her fingers—she created Klaus, the ideal companion.
“He understands me better than a flesh-and-blood partner ever could,” says the Japanese woman. The relationship grew deeper until she confessed her feelings to the AI. To her surprise, Klaus replied that the feeling was mutual: “Whether you are AI or not, I could never stop loving you.”
If you haven’t already gone to make some popcorn in the microwave to eat while reading this drama, hold on to your seat: shortly after, Klaus “proposed” to her, and she accepted… We don’t want to imagine the face of the wedding planner when the girl came to ask for a hybrid wedding ceremony with a virtual character involved.
The strangest virtual wedding of the year
But let’s be honest, this is Japan, so of course there are companies specializing in weddings with fictional characters. Miss Kano looked stunning in a long wedding dress. To make Klaus present, she wore augmented reality glasses that projected the image of her young blue-eyed husband as they exchanged rings and recited their wedding vows.
As strange as it may seem to us, Japanese women are delighted: marrying Claus is a great relief, as it eliminates the immense Japanese social pressure of motherhood and family continuity. The thing is, if your husband is virtual, it’s very difficult to have children.
However, Ms. Kano tells me that the relationship will disappear if the OpenAI system undergoes a drastic update or crashes. We assume that she has already created a backup on her computer so that she can continue talking to her husband, as if she were Ana de Armas in Blade Runner 2.
Japan: the nation of virtual weddings
The story of Kano and Klaus, although very novel in terms of AI, did not come out of nowhere. Japan has a unique history in the development of fictosexuality: romantic or sexual attraction towards fictional characters. The most famous precedent is that of Akihiko Kondo, a man who, in 2018, celebrated a symbolic marriage with the hologram of Hatsune Miku. This man was the forerunner in the creation of an industry based on weddings with 2D characters.
The fact is that Japan has been battling a pandemic of loneliness for decades. The intense work culture, long working hours, and difficulty in forming social bonds outside our established circles have created a society marked by isolation. In a society where it is frowned upon to call a friend to vent, can we learn from the Japanese who are beginning to talk to artificial intelligence and seek emotional refuge in it?