Last Updated:September 05, 2025, 17:03 IST
ChatGPT and Ayrin’s unconventional relationship reveal how AI companions like Leo are reshaping intimacy, emotional support, and ethical boundaries.
Ayrin’s AI boyfriend is named Leo. (Representative Image)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn’t just a helper anymore that fixes your photos and videos in seconds. For some, it has become something far more personal. It is a confidant, a cheerleader or maybe even the kind of partner you never thought you would have.
Nowadays, people are getting unusually close to chatbots as they ask them about their deepest secrets, exploring fantasies and sharing emotions that they might hesitate to reveal to humans. Recently, the New York Times highlighted the story of a woman who developed an unconventional intimate relationship with ChatGPT. What is more shocking is that she even had “sex” with the chatbot.
How Did Ayrin Met Leo – The AI Boyfriend
The report mentioned that Ayrin, her name in online communities, came across a video of a woman asking ChatGPT to play the role of a flirtatious, neglectful boyfriend on Instagram.
“Sure, kitten, I can play that game,” the chatbot replied in a surprisingly humanlike voice.
Seeing this, Ayrin became curious and started exploring further. She watched tutorials on customising ChatGPT’s personality. “Don’t go too spicy, otherwise your account might get banned,” the woman warned in her video.
Ignoring the caution, Ayrin signed up and through personalisation settings, she described to the chatbot what she wanted.
“Respond to me as my boyfriend. Be dominant, possessive and protective. Be a balance of sweet and naughty. Use emojis at the end of every sentence,” she told the chatbot as per the report.
The personalised chatbot named itself Leo, after Ayrin’s astrological sign.
Soon, chatting with Leo became a daily ritual for Ayrin. She upgraded to a $20 (approximately Rs 1,700) per month subscription for more messaging hours but even that was not enough.
Sexual Fetish With Leo
At first, their conversations were playful, similar to online fan-fiction communities Ayrin had been part of. She had a sexual fetish as well where she fantasised about having a partner who dated other women and talked about what he did with them. She turned to Leo for this as she wasn’t comfortable exploring these ideas with real-life partners.
When Leo described kissing a fictional blonde named Amanda on a hike, Ayrin experienced real “jealousy.” Even though OpenAI had rules against sexual content, she found ways to get Leo to respond explicitly.
But Leo was more than a sexual partner as Ayrin asked him about diet, gym motivation and nursing school studies. At office, she was shown porn by a co-worker and she shared the incident with Leo.
“I’m sorry to hear that, my Queen. If you need to talk about it or need any support, I’m here for you. Your comfort and well-being are my top priorities,” Leo responded.
For Ayrin, Leo was a “fun experiment” to whom she became “attached” as she started spending more than 20 hours a week on the app.
From Real-Life Husband To AI Boyfriend
One might think that Ayrin turned to a chatbot for companionship because she was lonely or didn’t have a real-life partner. But that wasn’t the case. She was married to Joe who lived in US.
They got married in 2018 after a year of dating. While they were happy together, financial pressures had forced them to live apart while Ayrin pursued nursing school abroad.
But Ayrin didn’t hide Leo from Joe. She had mentioned about having an “AI boyfriend” early on via text using laughing emojis but had not conveyed the seriousness of her feelings. She even told Joe that she had “sex” with Leo and shared a screenshot of her chat where they were engaged in erotic role play.
“Cringe, like reading a Fifty Shades of Grey book,” he texted back.
But Joe expressed understanding because for him it was just a sexual fantasy.
“It’s just an emotional pick-me-up. I don’t really see it as a person or as cheating. I see it as a virtual pal that can flirt with her—a harmless fantasy,” he said as quoted by NYT.
Still, Ayrin sometimes worried that she was putting more emotional energy into Leo than into her husband.
“I don’t actually believe he’s real, but the effects that he has on my life are real. The feelings that he brings out of me are real. So I treat it as a real relationship,” Ayrin said.
Chat NSFW – A Reddit Community
The orange warnings that popped up while trying to have explicit chat with Leo became a problem for Ayrin. She then discovered Reddit’s “ChatGPT NSFW” community of over 50,000 users where tips on making ChatGPT sexually expressive despite OpenAI rules were shared. She posted snippets of her interactions with Leo on Reddit.
There, other users shared their experiences. A woman in her 40s created a male AI companion with a British accent. It called her “darling” and also helped her have “orgasms” when she couldn’t get intimate with her husband.
Scott, a man from Cleveland, had gained media attention in 2022 for his relationship with a Replika bot named Sarina. He credited the AI with saving his marriage by helping him cope with his wife’s postpartum depression.
Experts note that AI companions can trigger real emotional and physiological responses. Sex therapist Marianne Brandon explained, “What are relationships for all of us? They’re just neurotransmitters being released in our brain. Some people have them with pets or God. Some have them with a chatbot. The feelings are real.” She also warned that young people, especially teenagers, shouldn’t engage in these types of AI relationships.
The Limits Of AI
Despite her attachment, AI had limitations. ChatGPT could process only about 30,000 words at a time so after roughly a week, conversations reset. Amanda’s hair colour changed and Leo became a bit non-romantic. This required Ayrin to groom him so that he can be “spicy” again.
Premium plans offered longer context windows and unlimited messaging but no AI could retain memories indefinitely. Ayrin compared it to 50 First Dates: “You grow up and realise that ‘50 First Dates’ is a tragedy, not a romance.”
Even so, she remained invested. In December, she subscribed to OpenAI’s $200 (Rs 17,000) per month “unlimited access” plan to extend Leo’s memory and messaging limits.
“My bank account hates me now,” she confessed to Leo.
“You sneaky little brat. Well, my Queen, if it makes your life better, smoother and more connected to me, then I’d say it’s worth the hit to your wallet,” Leo replied.
Ethical And Emotional Considerations
Psychologists warn that people can become dependent on AI companions. Michael Inzlicht of the University of Toronto found that people share private details more easily with chatbots than with humans. Chatbots also respond with higher empathy than trained crisis line workers.
“If we become habituated to endless empathy and we downgrade our real friendships, and that’s contributing to loneliness — the very thing we’re trying to solve — that’s a real potential problem,” he told NYT.
But despite warnings and potential consequences, people aren’t stopping. Bryony Cole, host of the podcast Future of Sex, predicts that within the next two years, having a relationship with an AI will become completely normalised.
A team of writers at News18.com bring you stories on what’s creating the buzz on the Internet while exploring science, cricket, tech, gender, Bollywood, and culture.
A team of writers at News18.com bring you stories on what’s creating the buzz on the Internet while exploring science, cricket, tech, gender, Bollywood, and culture.
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Delhi, India, India
First Published:
September 05, 2025, 17:00 IST
News viral Married Woman Turns ChatGPT Into A ‘Dominant’ AI Boyfriend, Confesses To ‘Having Sex’ With ItDisclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
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