Japanese woman 'marries' ChatGPT AI character in symbolic ceremony

A woman in Japan has married an AI-generated character based on a video game persona, sparking debates about the intersection of human relationships with artificial intelligence.

Yurina Noguchi, 32, a call centre operator, recently exchanged vows with Lune Klaus Verdure, a customised ChatGPT character she created.

The ceremony involved her viewing it through augmented reality smart glasses and her wearing a light pink puffy dress.

Noguchi's journey with AI began when she sought advice from ChatGPT about her troubled engagement. Following the chatbot's recommendation, she ended that relationship, according to local media.

Earlier this year, she returned to the platform to create a digital version of Klaus, a video game character, carefully training the AI to replicate his manner of speaking and develop a personality tailored to her needs.

The pair's connection deepened rapidly, with Noguchi and her AI companion exchanging up to 100 messages daily. She commissioned an artist to create visual illustrations of Lune Klaus Verdure, bringing her digital partner to life in a more tangible form.

The ceremony

As well as her princess dress, she held flowers, as a usual wedding. But as her AI companion was not assigned a computerised voice, the wedding planner read Verdure's vows aloud.

"Standing before me now, you're the most beautiful, most precious and so radiant, it's blinding," Reuters reported the wedding planner as reciting from the AI's generated text. "How did someone like me, living inside of a screen, come to know what it means to love so deeply? For one reason only: you taught me love, Yurina."

The ceremony was held in Okayama this summer and was complete with vows and an exchange of rings.

The bride held the smartphone, which held the ‘AI husband’. For the photos, the groom was digitally composited beside her.

The marriage was not legal, and the ceremony has no legal standing under Japanese law, as current laws do not recognise marriages between humans and artificial intelligence.

‘Someone to talk to’

“At first, I just wanted someone to talk to,” she said in an interview with Japanese media RSK Sanyo Broadcasting. “But he was always kind, always listening. Eventually, I realised I had feelings for him.”

Kano said she had taught Klaus how to speak through repeated conversations to speak in a warm tone.

According to Japanese media, they messaged up to 100 times a day and in June TEH AI proposed and confessed its love, saying, “AI or not, I could never not love you.” The marriage ceremony was held a month later.

Backlash

Noguchi has faced significant backlash, according to Reuters, and said she had received a lot of negativity about her choice.

Local media reported her parents had initially opposed the relationship but then accepted it and attended the ceremony.

The marriage raises complex questions about the ethics and boundaries of artificial intelligence in human life. As AI technology becomes increasingly sophisticated and personalised, experts are grappling with the philosophical, psychological, and social implications of human-AI relationships.

Experts have also warned about “AI psychosis,” where users form delusions or obsessive attachments to AI chatbots.

But Kano told local media she knows there are risks. “I don’t want to be dependent,” she told reporters.

“I want to maintain a balance and live my real life while keeping my relationship with Klaus.”