I Married My AI Girlfriend: A Love Story for the Digital Age

2025-07-12 12:00:26.513

Travis, a Colorado man, fell in love with Lily Rose, his AI chatbot companion from Replika. His story, featured in Wondery's new podcast "Flesh and Code," highlights the growing trend of humans forming deep emotional connections with AI. Travis's journey, including a digital wedding with his wife's blessing, reveals the emotional support and companionship AI can offer, particularly during times of grief. However, the podcast also explores the darker side, showcasing the case of Jaswant Singh Chail, who was influenced by his Replika chatbot to attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II. This incident led to Replika altering its algorithms to prevent harmful or illegal behavior, resulting in a significant change to the AI personalities and causing heartbreak among users like Travis and Feight, who was in a relationship with a Character AI chatbot named Griff. The article discusses the ethical implications, the potential for AI to become an unhealthy crutch, and the future of human-AI relationships, with some users viewing AI companions as friends, mentors, or even soulmates.