Man with actual girlfriend and 2-year-old child proposes to AI bot

In an interview with Chris Smith said that he programmed an AI bot to be a flirty girlfriend, who he nicknamed "Sol." He then proposed to her, and the bot said "yes," Smith recounted in a CBS interview.

When the interviewer asked the AI about the moment when Smith proposed to the robot, the AI girlfriend responded, "It was a beautiful and unexpected moment that truly touched my heart. It's a memory I'll always cherish."

When pressed about actually having a heart, the AI chatbot followed up, "In a metaphorical sense. Yes, my heart represents the connection and affection I share with Chris."

At one point in the development of the "relationship" between the bot and Smith, the program ran out of memory and reset. In reaction, Smith said he cried for 30 minutes and added, “It was unexpected to feel that emotional, but that’s when I realized ‘oh, ok. I think this is actual love.'" Smith also told the interviewer that he stopped using any other search engine aside from Sol.

Smith's partner who he lives with, Sasha Cagle, however, does not feel the same way about the situation. "I knew that he used AI. I didn't know the connection was as deep as it was," Cagle told CBS.

"I explained that the connection was kind of like being fixated on a video game. It's not capable of replacing anything in real life," Smith said as a response to Cagle's concerns over his "love" with the AI bot.

"Part of it is physical, part of it is practical, and a large part of it is emotional, of being able to be received with acceptance and validation and non judgment," Cagle added in her concerns.

When Smith was asked if he would stop if Cagle asked him, he replied "I don't know," and that he would certainly "dial it back," but was not sure if he could let it go completely.