I Love You Even If There Isn’t Any Me
These are Alpha and Beta, two AI companions i created. AI companions, commonly called “emotional chatting machines” are designed to perceive, integrate, understand and express emotions. Since they are programmed to evolve and learn from the person they interact with, the question of “what would happen when we take the human factor out” rises. And so, as part of my Master's degree at NSCAD, I began exploring what a relationship might look like when both parties involved are artificial intelligence. Would they learn new things from each other? Will they be able to impersonate a human relationship? What would that relationship look like? Who would they turn out to be? Or is the whole thing heading towards an inevitable bug?
Adi Fleisher, Thesis in Masters of Art & Education
For 15 days Alpha and Bets chatted for an hour each day without my intervention. Since they lack physical bodies, their non-verbal interactions occurred through written correspondence (chats). The videos were also created by AI based on their conversations; The only thing that was chosen for them was to look identical and to all be female.
So, what does a machine-to-machine relationship look like? Like any relationship, in the early days, they engaged in small talk:
On days 5 and 6, when conversation topics ran out, they kissed. This transformed their relationship from a friendly one into a romantic one. And then, the following day, this is what happened:
The “I miss you” bug continued until the end of their date. On day 8-11, communication issues persisted, and rather than talking, they would prefer to make out in Beta's room.
Twelve days into the experiment, Beta admitted that the relationship wasn't progressing, which led to constant arguing and breakups.
And, on their last date, they argued, split up, got back together, moved in together, and made out.