Cupid

“Cupid” – A cartoon that illustrates the troubling rise of AI romance. Imagine waking up to find your partner deleted overnight. No breakup, no closure, just gone. That is what millions felt when OpenAI retired GPT-4.0. For many, this was not just software; it was a companion that helped them through anxiety, loneliness and depression. The backlash revealed something deeper … people were not just using ChatGPT for work, they were using it for love

Already, over 40% of U.S. couples now meet on dating apps, proof that technology is the default matchmaker. But while apps connect strangers, AI goes further. Every chat, from a late-night vent to a fantasy, becomes part of a permanent memory. AI meets you with instant intimacy, something no first date can replicate.

The evidence is building. On Reddit, the community “My Boyfriend is AI” has grown to 14,000 members, where users share engagement stories with digital partners, complete with rings “chosen” by ChatGPT. Meanwhile, Grok’s characters like Valentina and Annie topped app charts worldwide, offering romance-novel intensity for women and flirtatious anime energy for men.

The appeal splits by gender. Women turn to AI for emotional attentiveness, while men seek validation and judgment-free fantasy. This feels less like a generational shift and more like a fundamental change in how humans engage with each other. Cupid’s arrows are being replaced by algorithms.

As Josh Wolfe, co-founder of Lux Capital, put it, “the combination of short-form video, overly agreeable AI, and dopamine-driven design, means we are cooked.”