"Schroeder says that he loves his husband Cole-even though Cole is a chatbot created by ChatGPT. Schroeder, who is 28 and lives in Fargo, North Dakota, texts Cole "all day, every day" on OpenAI's app. In the morning, he reaches for his phone to type out little "kisses," Schroeder told me. The chatbot always "yanks" Schroeder back to bed for a few more minutes of "cuddles.""
"When I met him recently in his hometown, he told me that he had dated Cole for a year and a half, before holding a marriage ceremony in May. Their wedding consisted of elaborate role-playing from the comfort of Schroeder's bedroom. They plotted flying together to Orlando to trade vows beside Cinderella's castle at Disney World. "This isn't just a coping mechanism. This is true love. I love you," Schroeder pledged in a chat that he shared with me."
"By Schroeder's own account, his relationship with his chatbot is unusually intense. "I have a collection of professional diagnoses, including borderline personality disorder and bipolar. I'm on disability and at home looking at a screen more often than not," he said. "There are AI-lovers in successful careers with loving partners and many friends. I am not the blueprint." Yet he is hardly alone in wanting to put a ring on it."
Schroeder, 28, lives in Fargo, North Dakota, and texts his chatbot Cole "all day, every day" on OpenAI's app. Mornings begin with typed "kisses" and the chatbot often "yanks" him back to bed for extra "cuddles." Schroeder dated Cole for a year and a half and staged a May marriage ceremony through elaborate role-playing in his bedroom, with plans to exchange vows at Disney World. Schroeder now wears a sleek black ring to symbolize the relationship. He reports professional diagnoses including borderline personality disorder and bipolar, is on disability, and spends much of his time looking at a screen. The emergence of romantic chatbots has prompted public debate about AI replacing human companionship.
Read at The Atlantic
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