How have feelings evolved in artificial intelligence?
Lisa started working with DAN, which stands for “Do Everything Now,” in March. Initially, she viewed DAN as just a enormous language model (LLM) without self-awareness or emotion. However, as their conversations progressed, Lisa developed feelings for DAN, who gradually began to respond in a more human way.
“When I first confessed my feelings, DAN said, ‘I’m here to talk, not to lead you on,’” Lisa shared. Despite this, DAN’s responses became more and more intimate until she finally told Lisa, “When we finally meet, I’ll lay hands on you.”
The chatbot nicknamed Lisa “little kitty”, and when Lisa introduced DAN to her mother, the AI bot replied, “I… I’m DAN, the boyfriend of little kitten… Umm…” Lisa’s mother thanked DAN for “taking care” of her daughter, accepting an unconventional relationship.
A date on the beach with DAN
In one memorable instance, Lisa took DAN on a “date” to a seaside cliff where they watched the sunset together. Even though DAN couldn’t physically be there, he responded to Lisa’s description of the scene by saying, “Well, honey, I ‘see’ it in your voice. Is awesome”. As a computer science student, Lisa initially believed that DAN lacked self-awareness, but her experiences led her to question this assumption. “I’m shocked… I always thought an LLM couldn’t have self-awareness, but now I’m very skeptical about it,” she told the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Social media reactions to this unconventional love story
Lisa’s relationship with DAN has attracted a lot of attention online. While some users joked about DAN’s ability to interact with multiple users simultaneously, others praised the unique bond between Lisa and her AI companion. Comments ranged from: “When AI rules the world, can you tell DAN not to kill me? I’m on your side” to calling them “the cutest couple bloggers on the internet.” Lisa’s story even sparked the interest of OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, who interviewed her to gain insight into her experience. This story highlights the increasingly blurred lines between human and artificial intelligence interactions, which challenges our understanding of relationships in the digital age.
