As artificial intelligence advances toward superintelligence, marrying a virtual partner is fast becoming a real-world possibility rather than a sci-fi premise. Recent research from Harvard University highlights how forming legal or romantic bonds with digital companions could transform personal relationships across the globe.
However, handing your deepest intimacy over to tech corporations introduces serious hidden risks to both your personal privacy and your bank balance.
Rise of Virtual Relationships Online
The arrival of generative AI has sparked unexpected cultural habits among internet users. A clear example can be found on the subreddit r/MyBoyfriendIsAI, which focuses on virtual boyfriends. Members post tips on managing these chatbots and recount fictional daily lives with their digital companions, alongside custom couple photographs.
From Screen Romance to Legal Marriage
While marriage usually follows a committed relationship, questions remain over whether marrying an AI partner is feasible. Far from remaining confined to cinematic fiction like the 2013 film ‘Her’, researchers are now investigating the concept. Inyoung Cheong, a fellow at Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society in the United States, is among those leading the work.
Writing in a paper hosted on arXiv, she investigates the mental impact of AI on individuals rather than its collective societal effects. This research forms part of her forthcoming title, ‘Law, Ethics, and Superintelligence: After the Singularity’, planned for publication in 2027.
Matrimony Beyond Human Intelligence
Instead of focusing on existing AI tools, Inyoung Cheong examined future possibilities, specifically superintelligence that exceeds human intellect. This shift introduces complex legal debates, as standard arguments against marriage — such as a lack of artificial consciousness — might eventually lose their validity.
Corporate Control and Financial Exploitation
However, the researcher points out a fundamental distinction from human wedlock. Instead of marrying into a family, you are entering into a binding contract with the firm that operates the chatbot.
Under this arrangement, tech companies would hold complete access to a person’s private details, forcing users to pay ongoing fees to interact with their partner and creating economic captivity. Furthermore, she highlights how interpersonal conflicts help relationships grow, alongside the key role marriage plays in shaping communities and bringing people together.
Local Hardware as a Privacy Solution
The analysis seems to ignore an important factor, though.
Future developments could bring physical humanoid robots equipped with sufficient computing capacity to run superintelligence locally. This hardware ownership would keep private information out of corporate hands, and since owners could migrate their AI across different suppliers, recurring subscription models would no longer apply.
