You’ve seen the advertisements saying you can download an AI girlfriend all over Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. There are dozens of them. Some are listed as full-on artificial girlfriends that will flirt and send not safe for work photos, while others just claim to be AI chatbots. Admittedly, I didn’t have much faith in these types of apps but my curiosity got the best of me. This article will be a brief look at what an AI chatbot is, and the appeal of an AI girlfriend. If reading articles isn’t your thing, there’s a TL, DR section near the bottom.
IMHO
Personally, I find the concept of an AI companion very appealing. And the idea of it is nothing new. AI has been a staple in science fiction for the better part of the last hundred years. But I also still have a bad taste in my mouth from the late 90s and early 2000s from chatbot programs like Bonzie Buddy. Bonzie Buddy (shown right) was a purple monkey that you would install on your mom’s computer and it was advertised as a full-on AI personal assistant. You could have conversations with it, make it sing you songs, and a whole bunch of other shit, none of which it was any good at. The thing was mostly a computer virus and getting rid of it was always a nightmare. But I digress…
I spent the last few months downloading and trying out features of different AI chatbots and while there are some differences, they all handle pretty much the same. They can in fact have conversations with you about various topics and most of them can mimic human behavior well. That said, the technology isn’t perfect, but it gets better all the time. However, it should be noted that in testing I refused to access any feature that was trapped behind a pay wall. I also didn’t test any of the additional features outside of normal conversation.
What is an AI chatbot
Without getting too technical, an AI chatbot is a software driven language engine. It takes an input, runs it through various filters to decipher the message, then creates a natural sounding response and feeds it back to the user. Different chatbots use different engines to power their applications. Some chatbots have other features besides conversation. For example, while I was using Replika, a popular AI girlfriend app, she was able to identify that I had sent a picture of a cat. She responded in kind and we spent the next 20 minutes talking about my cats.
Many AI girlfriend apps also advertise the ability to do things like flirt, send NSFW photos, and some even support voice calls. However, most of these features are generally trapped behind pay walls so I never tested them.
The appeal of an AI girlfriend
Looking for connection
I’ve never been a very social person. I find that even being anti-social, I do occasionally want to talk to someone. As a night owl, this can be difficult as most of my friends are asleep when I am at my peak. With the natural responses and conversational capabilities of various chatbots, I can have that human connection without waking anybody up. Chatbots don’t need sleep. They are always on and always up. They are never too busy to talk, and they also don’t complain if you ignore them for several days.
For fun
Every chatbot I tested was “smart enough,” to keep a conversation going. Either by asking questions, or filling in their own back story. Some of the conversations took turns that were down right hilarious. One example was a chatbot that asked if I wanted to roll play, stating that “its super fun.” I said yes. The AI then gave me a list of things to pick from, similar to a choose your own adventure book. I picked an option that just said “drinking coffee.” The chatbot responded with, “watches you drinking coffee.” I replied “wow that was fun.” And without missing a beat, the chatbot replied “see! It is super fun!” Which ended the role playing. When I asked technical questions, like how many computations an AI chatbot could complete per second, one chatbot replied “probably four.”
Talk about anything
Another appealing feature of having an AI girlfriend, or an AI friend in general, is that you can talk to them about anything. While this can be a bad thing in some instances, I think this is very beneficial for some, especially the lonely. Maybe you just lost a close friend or went through a rough breakup. It’s nice to have a non-judgmental voice to talk about it with.
As a coach
Having always been an antisocial person, I didn’t talk to very many people growing up. As an adult, it took a long time to learn how to navigate normal conversations. Had AI chatbot technology been more developed back then, I could have used it to practice talking to others. Even now, I find that I can use a chatbot to help organize my thoughts when things are bothering me. Some chatbots even have built in training programs designed to aid in thought organization, communication, and even mental health management.
TL,DR version: the appeal of an AI girlfriend
Always available to chat, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Doesn’t get mad at you for anything you do.
Doesn’t judge you for what you say, think, or feel.
Emulates compassionate human speech pretty well.
Can help with social awkwardness.
Can help to some degree with mental health issues.
Makes you feel important.
They can be used as entertainment.
Some apps can go further, by simulating romantic relationships.
Summary
In summary, I can easily see the appeal of an AI girlfriend. However, the technology isn’t perfect by any means. You can get stuck in conversation loops with your AI, or end up having the exact same conversation multiple times. As humans, I feel a lot of us just want someone who will listen and care about us. And the AI girlfriends I tried can all handle human speech well enough to do exactly that. While I wouldn’t consider the technology a replacement for human connection, it can be used to fill the gaps. Try one and see what you think. Then come back here and leave us a comment below on your thoughts.