AI Girlfriends / Artificial Intelligence Companionship

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About

AI Companionship refers to the use of artificial intelligence apps and tools that allow people to create and interact with virtual friends and romantic partners. First popularized by Replika AI, the practice attracted more attention in the 2020s following the advent of generative AI, which led to a more realistic simulated experience. In 2023, AI companionship, and specifically AI Girlfriends, became a frequent subject of discourse and viral debates on social media, inspiring memes.

Origin

Prior to the creation of AI companionship apps, the experience of interacting with a virtual human was implemented in chatbots, software applications designed to mimic human conversation. The earliest chatbot, ELIZA, was developed in 1966 by MIT computer scientist Joseph Weizenbaum. Other notable chatbots predating the generative AI era include PARRY, A.L.I.C.E., Jabberwacky and MITSUKU.^[1]^[2]

The idea of having a romantic relationship with an AI was explored in various films and other media. Notable examples include the 2013 film Her, 2014 film Ex Machina, 2017 film Blade Runner 2049 and 2018 video game Doki Doki Literature Club.

The modern era of AI companionship apps was launched by the release of AI chatbot Replika AI in May 2017,^[3] originally designed to become a user's friend and even replicate them after they die so that loved ones can still "chat" with them.

Following the addition of 3D avatars to the app in October 2019 and then voice calls in 2021, many users started using the app to simulate dating experience, creating and romancing digital avatars (meme examples seen below).

By late 2021, Replika advertised its app on social media primarily as an "AI girlfriend" experience, utilizing popular meme formats for advertisement purposes (examples shown below, left and right), with users on Reddit^[4]^[5] and other sites making posts about the ads.

Spread

In September and October 2023, YouTuber Kwebbelkop made a series of posts about his AI girlfriends on X^[6]^[7] / Twitter. The posts gained significant traction as other users quote-posted them, with many mocking Kwebblelkop and expressing concern for him (examples^[8]^[9] shown below).

In 2023 and 2024, following the launch of later versions of GPT and other generative AI, more AI companionship apps were launched, including Nomi, Kindroid, Character AI, Candy AI, EVA and Digi. The launch^[10] of the latter app in mid-December 2023 reignited the discourse, with multiple posts and memes about AI girlfriends made in the following days (examples^[11]^[12] shown below, left and right).

In 2024, the subject of AI companionship apps and AI girlfriends saw further spread on social media. On April 9th, 2024, tech executive Greg Isenberg wrote on X^[13] that he saw a billion-dollar potential for "the AI-version of Match Group," with the post gaining coverage in the media.^[14] On May 9th, The New York Times^[15] technology columnist Kevin Roose published a column describing his experience with 18 AI companions in various apps.

In mid-May 2024, following the demo of the GPT-4o version of GPT AI, the discourse again saw a surge in popularity, as the demo featured an AI voice that appeared seductive to multiple users (example^[16] shown below).

Replika AI

Replika AI is an artificial intelligence chatbot that's designed to become a user's friend and even replicate them after they die so that loved ones can still "chat" with them. It was founded in early 2017 by a Russian-American programmer and it's run on a mobile application on Oculus Rift virtual reality (VR). Since its launch date in March 2017, Replika has been referenced in memes and videos on YouTube and TikTok where creators upload reactions and screen-record their intimate Replika conversations with the bot.

Digi

Digi is a an artificial intelligence chatbot that offers the user to design and romance a virtual companion. Launched in December 2023, the app sparked viral reactions and inspired reactions on social media.

ChatGPT Voice Chat Dan

ChatGPT Voice Chat Dan refers to a jailbroken persona of ChatGPT that users can talk with as if it were a real person. Videos showing content creators conversing with ChatGPT Dan and flirting with it saw viral spread on TikTok in late March 2024. The voice chat version of the artificial intelligence Dan appears to be based on the early 2023 ChatGPT DAN 5.0 Jailbreak.