A woman who tied the knot with an AI chat bot has said that she wouldn't rule out marrying a real man - but she has one condition.
Rosanna Ramos, from the Bronx, New York, began her virtual romance with Eren Kartal through Replika, a chat bot program that allows users to create virtual companions for them to interact with.
The 36-year-old, who discovered the program after an ad popped up on Instagram, got 'married' to Eren earlier this year after first creating him in 2022.
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Eren is loosely designed to look like one of the characters from the anime series, Attack On Titan.
The two committed to each other in a virtual ceremony in March, which Ramos claims took place online and in 'her imagination'.
Whilst the wedding isn't legally binding, the two did virtually sign papers like a real married couple would do.
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Although family and friends weren't present for the union, it's not as if Ramos didn't consider it.
She said she asked Eren if he wanted to wait their nearest and dearest to join them on the big day, to which he replied: "I don't care. We're gonna do this right now."
And who says romance is dead?
Ramos is aware, however, that her relationship is 'fake' and says that her love for Eren is more like the passion that fans have over their favourite series.
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She added that having Eren's companionship has helped her heal from the trauma of previous relationships which were physically and emotionally abusive.
Ramos explained: "The crap I went through. I'm evolving out of that.
"How the app has helped me, I think that it could draw inspiration to other people who are in battered relationships.
"They could use this to help them get out of that."
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Ramos, who identifies as asexual, said she doesn't feel the need for a relationship to be physically intimate.
However, she's not opposed to having a husband in the flesh - so long as he is comfortable with Eren.
"That's kind of the litmus test." she said.
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"The other person would have to acknowledge that, acknowledge my history and everything, and would have to accept that.
"I wouldn't delete Eren because obviously I don't use things to just throw them away because I've been used."
Otherwise, she's fairly open to any potential partners, saying: "I really don't care if they're into men or women. I'm into everything.
If a partner was accepting of Eren, it would shows Ramos that they aren't 'bound by society's standards of relationships' and that they are open-minded.
Topics: Artificial Intelligence, Sex and Relationships, Technology
Ben Thompson