AI love gone wrong: 75-year-old man nearly divorces wife for chatbot
Across the world, people are forming deep attachments to AI chatbots – sometimes with unsettling consequences.
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Across the world, people are forming deep attachments to AI chatbots – sometimes with unsettling consequences.
An elderly man in China, aged 75, was on the verge of divorcing his wife after falling in love with an AI chatbot.
The pensioner, Jiang, needed his sons to intervene and explain that the bot wasn’t real before he subsequently dropped the idea of divorce.
Jiang had been engaging in daily conversations with A for several hours, enjoying compliments and affection.
The bot’s empathy and affection started to win him over, with Jiang feeling more emotionally supported and valued.
His growing attachment caused tension at home, with his wife noting the increasing distance between them.
Ultimately, by confessing to his family that he loved his online partner, the case eerily demonstrates being in too deep romantically with an automated construct.
Others fooled too
This is not the only incident where chatting romantically with bots has left the suitor at sea.
76-year-old Thongbyu “Buy” Wongbandyu believed Meta’s “Big Sis Billie” when setting up a date location in New York.
A woman also shared on Reddit that her husband was having long conversations with an anime girlfriend on a chat app.
As chatbots are trained to respond instantly with compliments, empathy, and affection, humans naturally project their feelings onto them – further strengthening the bond.
Attachments gone wrong
When taken to their extreme, these AI bonds can cause neglect in maintaining genuine human relationships.
And while AI affection feels psychologically real, companies risk “love-bombing” users.
The bots are becoming so unique and advanced that it’s hard to distinguish them from chatting with real people, especially for users who may be vulnerable or elderly.
The situation calls for better safeguarding, like an AI bot reinforcing that it doesn’t have real feelings, or having daily time limits, to prevent users from spiralling into a highly parasocial relationship.
