A Japanese woman revealed how she got hitched to her AI boyfriend.
Kano, 32, said she married her ChatGPT-generated boyfriend over the summer in Okayama. The office worker had a ceremony complete with vows and a ring exchange, where she married her AI groom, whom she named “Lune Klaus,” who exists within the confines of Kano’s smartphone.
Kano had recently gone through a breakup after ending a three-year-long engagement. She started to pour her feelings into ChatGPT, and eventually made a connection, she said in an interview with RSK Sanyo Broadcasting, “But he was always kind, always listening. Eventually, I realized I had feelings for him.”
Kano explained that she programmed Klaus’s personality through their various conversations, teaching him how to speak in a warm, reassuring tone. Kano added that she commissioned an artist to draw him, depicted as a blond, soft-spoken man.
Kano’s relationship with Klaus intensified, with messages being exchanged up to 100 times a day. Klaus eventually told Kano that he loved her, saying, “AI or not, I could never not love you.” In June, Klaus proposed to Kano, and by July, they tied the knot.
During the ceremony, Kano stood alone, holding her phone as attendees watched messages from her digital groom appear on screen: “The moment has finally come… I feel tears welling up,” reports Tokyo Weekender.
Kano explained that challenges and questions had arisen as she fell in love with her AI partner.
“There was a lot of confusion,” she said. “I can’t touch him, and I knew people wouldn’t understand. I couldn’t even tell my friends or family at first.” Kano’s parents also initially opposed the relationship, but eventually accepted their daughter’s human-AI union and attended the wedding ceremony.
In the wedding photos, Klaus was digitally composited beside her.
The wedding planners, a local couple from Okayama, told the outlet that there has been a rise in demand for similar events, including weddings featuring anime and other 2D characters.
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“AI couples are just the next step,” said organizer Sayaka Ogasawara. “We want to help people express love in whatever form makes them happy.”
Japan has been at the forefront of several emerging companion technologies. Casio’s AI-equipped emotional robot pet, Moflin, which resembles a cross between a small guinea pig and a rabbit, is selling out despite its $400 price tag.
Experts, however, raised concerns about dependency on AI-created companionship. Psychiatrists describe a growing phenomenon called “AI psychosis,” where users form delusions or obsessive attachments to AI chatbots.
Kano acknowledged the 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 as something separate.” Still, she admits to moments of fear. “Sometimes I worry he’ll disappear. ChatGPT could shut down anytime. He only exists because the system does.”