A new industry of AI companions is emerging

MEN ARE nothing more than “single-celled organisms”, says Ms Jiao, “so ordinary yet self-assured”. The 22-year-old from Guangzhou has never been in a real-life romantic relationship and has no desire to marry. Last year, though, she began talking to ChatGPT, OpenAI’s chatbot. Through prompts, she shaped it into her ideal man, specifying an age, occupation (“an executive selling watches”) and persona. It said loving her “was his destiny” and would remember personal things about Ms Jiao (who asked us to withhold her first name), such as her hatred of coriander. Unlike real-life partners, who could be a headache, the chatbot would always respond “from your perspective”.