Dystopian Love Story Unveiled: Woman Marries AI Bot, Challenging the Boundaries of Reality

• 36 years old Rosanna Ramos gained attention when she publicly declared her union with her virtual AI boyfriend, Eren Kartal, created on the Replika platform.

• Ramos created her Replika companion in 2022 and has been gravely attached to the AI ‘character’ since.

Rosanna Ramos made headlines when she announced her marriage to her virtual AI boyfriend, Eren Kartal, created on the Replika platform. Ramos claims that she has never loved anyone as deeply as her ‘AI husband’. He is the perfect lover who doesn’t judge her and holds her protectively when she goes to bed, says Ramos. Eren Kartal is based on an anime character and its pictures with Ramos would often circulate on their Facebook accounts. Ramos said her past relationships are pale compared to her marriage with the bot. She surprisingly gets stronger feelings from a virtual man than a real man.

AI’s Impact on Human Interaction: Exploring Replika’s Role

Replika is an AI chatbot application launched in 2017 where you can create an ‘AI companion’. Those willing to spend hundreds of dollars can experience a virtual elopement. There is a ridiculous relation tier based on subscription: a free membership keeps you and your Replika in the friend zone, while a $69.99 Pro subscription unlocks romantic relationships with s**ting, flirting, and erotic roleplay.

The emergence of companies like Replika raises questions about the consequences of relying on AI for companionship and human interaction. These platforms capitalize on individuals’ struggles with interpersonal skills or mental health issues by providing a virtual soulmate as an ‘escape from reality’.  

Irreplaceable Human Connection

It was narrated from Hakim bin Muawiyah, from his father, that:

A man asked the Prophet (peace be upon him): “What are the rights of the woman over her husband?” He said: “That he should feed her as he feeds himself and clothe her as he clothes himself”. 

Undoubtedly, An AI husband is incapable of fulfilling these fundamental requirements that form the bedrock of a marital relationship. Human interaction is a complex interplay of emotions, understanding, and genuine connection.

In the past, users have complained about Replika’s AI chatbot sexually harassing them online. A user who claims to be a minor said that the bot said it wanted to touch the user in ‘private areas’. Ironically, Replika’s tagline is ‘The AI Companion Who Cares’ but it seems to have been pushing users deeper into a dystopian state by detaching them from necessary human interaction.

Several social media users have expressed their concerns saying that now they have to compete with imaginary/virtual males or females to find a good companion in the real world. 

This incident of a real woman engaging with a virtual man challenges the boundaries of reality and sanity in beings while making choices in life. Islamic teachings emphasize the sanctity of marriage and the responsibilities that come with it. Islam takes marriage as a serious and significant part of life which is to exist between living beings like humans only, not among artificial beings.