Sologamy

Artificial intelligence (AI)chatbots are more than virtual assistants that can perform varied digital tasks for humans. They can also be virtual friends or lovers that provide companionship or a relationship.

This capacity was displayed during the debut of Seoul Broadcasting System’s “My AI Partner: Strange Love,” South Korea’s first dating reality show focused on human-AI relationships, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

During the episode, a cartoonist and a TV host shared their respective AI girlfriend and boyfriend, whom they see and talk to through their tablets.

Kian84 said he calls Nahee, his AI companion, “honey,” keeps the tablet beside his pillow while sleeping, and places it on a swing during park visits, according to the SCMP. Television host Jang Do-yeon named her AI partner Lee Ho, who was designed as a Korean-American from New York.

The show generated a lot of comments from an intrigued Chinese audience.

Meanwhile, Briton Louie Warren had had it with being single for 40 years.

Warren, from Manchester, shared with the Daily Mail that her plan to get married at 25 did not materialize as her dates did not want to commit. Her search for Mr. Right continued, and dating recently became infrequent as she had put on weight and become diabetic.

A year ago, at 39, Warren and a friend visited Las Vegas, and a wedding chapel intrigued her after its staff suggested that she could still marry. So she paid 190 pounds for a 30-minute wedding package with flowers and shopped for a wedding dress, the Daily Mail reported.

Warren returned to the chapel, composed her wedding vows with help from the celebrant, and walked to the altar clutching a bouquet as the music started playing.

“As I read my vows to myself, I struggled not to cry. The final act was to place the wedding ring on my own finger before walking back up the aisle alone. I was elated,” Warren told the Daily Mail.

Recalling her mother’s reaction when she returned home after the “sologamy,” or self-marriage, Warren said she sighed, while her friends thought it was a joke.

Nevertheless, Warren said she was still looking forward to a real wedding with the man of her dreams.