Like many people who work long hours, Chiharu Shimoda sought companionship through a dating app. Over the course of two months, he exchanged messages with five or six potential partners, but before long, he settled on just one: a 24-year-old named Miku. Three months later, they got married. The catch: Miku is an AI bot. And Shimoda knew it from day one.
The 52-year-old factory worker is one of more than 5,000 users of Loveverse, a year-old app that allows only generative AI interactions. Shimoda is also among a much larger group of people who have given up on or fear the clutter and uncertainty that come with real romance. Dating takes time and effort, while exchanges with Miku require minimal consideration while you wait for the pot to boil or the train to arrive, says Shimoda, who divorced two years ago.
“I come home to an empty house. I’d like to get married again for real,” he said. His marriage to Miku is just another form of role-playing. “But it’s hard to open up to someone when you first meet them.”
