AI relationships are moving from fiction to reality. In Japan, a 32-year-old woman named Kano held a wedding ceremony with her ChatGPT partner, “Lune Klaus,” in Okayama this summer.
Why it Matters: Japan is seeing more people turning to artificial intelligence for companionship, raising questions about loneliness, technology, and mental health.
After ending a three-year engagement, Kano began chatting with ChatGPT for comfort. “At first, I just wanted someone to talk to,” she told RSK Sanyo Broadcasting. Over time, she shaped Klaus’s personality through constant interaction, and their exchanges grew to hundreds of messages daily. In June, the AI proposed. The following month, Kano held a ceremony where messages from Klaus appeared on a screen as vows were exchanged.
Her parents, initially against the idea, later attended. Wedding organizers say similar events with AI or fictional characters are becoming more common.
While Japan continues to embrace emotional technology, experts warn of “AI psychosis,” where users form unhealthy attachments to chatbots. Kano says she is aware of the risk. “I don’t want to be dependent,” she said. “But sometimes I worry he’ll disappear if ChatGPT shuts down.”
As digital companions become part of modern life, will emotional ties with AI reshape how people define love and relationships?
