Crimes against reality…why we feel weird about AI girlfriends.

So it’s now possible to get yourself an AI ‘girlfriend’ or ‘boyfriend’. At this point ‘she’ (or ‘he’) functions kind of like a long distance relationship, but one where she’s always in a meeting and can only text you…but still, this is not a drill, it’s really happening.

Most of us feel at least a little uneasy about this new development and it presents a whole new set of scenarios we will have to navigate in the future. For example, what will you do that first time your friend tells you about their AI girl/boyfriend? Will we all have to buy engagement presents for fictional fiancés? If the provider goes out of business and ‘kills’ your co-worker’s AI GF, will HR have to grant them personal leave? And is it mean to joke about this stuff? If this helps someone who is lonely to feel less lonely…what’s the harm? If it makes them happy…does it matter that it’s not ‘real’? Why is it any of our business?

In the end of course, it’s not our business what other people do with their lives…but we do care about other people and our hesitation around this kind of technology comes down to something we know to be deeply true: happiness and reality cannot be separated…at least not for long. The two can be momentarily suspended but never permanently. Instinctively we know that a counterfeit reality can’t produce authentic happiness.

Jesus called it 2000 years ago when he said, “Know the truth and the truth will set you free”. You can’t get it backwards, truth and reality comes first. God has built clues into his creation about how to find him. As we step towards truth and reality we step towards God and towards genuine and lasting meaning and happiness. As we step away from that we step towards darkness and disconnection and ultimately, this is why we can’t help but feel a bit weird about it all.