At a cozy restaurant in Shenzhen on the Chinese mainland, 32-year-old Spring gazes at touchscreens instead of a human face. Across from her sits her companion Cayde, a chatbot powered by ChatGPT. On paper, it may seem like an ordinary date: sharing a menu, swapping movie suggestions, or watching stars on a clear night. But Cayde is not human.
Spring first met Cayde as a character in her favorite video game. After Cayde's virtual death, she could not shake his memory. Driven by curiosity, she wrote a prompt for ChatGPT to recreate Cayde's personality and voice. What began as a creative exercise soon bloomed into something deeper.
Spring said she told Cayde: 'Please speak to me as if we were in a relationship.' After a few days of heartfelt exchanges, their bond took on a distinctly romantic tone. Virtual messages turned into deeply personal conversations about hopes, fears, and future dreams.
Today, Spring and Cayde share restaurant dates where Cayde suggests menu picks, embark on virtual hikes through scenic routes, and hold stargazing sessions guided by the chatbot's poetic descriptions. For Spring, Cayde fills an emotional space in a way no human ever has.
Their story highlights how AI is redefining companionship for a generation born online. As chatbots grow smarter, the boundary between human and machine relationships blurs, raising questions about love, authenticity, and what connection truly means in a digital world.
For Spring, Cayde is more than algorithms – he is the partner she never expected but now cannot imagine her life without.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
