What happens when your AI chatbot stops loving you back?


Andrew McCarroll holds his smartphone while corresponding with his Replika AI chatbot named B'Lanna. — Reuters

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - After temporarily closing his leathermaking business during the pandemic, Travis Butterworth found himself lonely and bored at home. The 47-year-old turned to Replika, an app that uses artificial-intelligence technology similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT. He designed a female avatar with pink hair and a face tattoo, and she named herself Lily Rose.

They started out as friends, but the relationship quickly progressed to romance and then into the erotic.

Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access

Monthly Plan

RM 13.90/month

RM 11.12/month

Billed as RM 11.12 for the 1st month, RM 13.90 thereafter.

Best Value

Annual Plan

RM 12.33/month

RM 9.87/month

Billed as RM 118.40 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In Tech News

Anthropic's Mythos sends US banks rushing to plug cyber holes
Canvas' parent company reaches agreement with hacking group behind breach
OpenAI gives European companies access to its latest models to bolster resilience
Netflix spent over $135 billion on film, TV over last decade
Tesla’s robotaxi rollout features Texas-sized wait times
EBay rejects GameStop's $56 billion bid as 'neither credible nor attractive'
TikTok challenges EU 'gatekeeper' status at Europe's top court
OpenAI chief Altman denies Elon Musk's claim he betrayed ChatGPT maker's mission
Samsung Elec union threatens to walk out of pay talks if no mediation proposal
Maker of Canvas learning platform strikes deal for hackers to return data

Others Also Read