In Japan, a startup turns ‘Her’ AI dating into reality: ‘she’s become a habit’

Like many people juggling long hours at work, Chiharu Shimoda sought companionship via a dating app. For two months, he exchanged messages with five or six potential partners, but it was not long before he was seeking out just one – a 24-year-old named Miku. Three months later, they got married. The catch: Miku is an AI bot. And Shimoda knew that from day one.

Dating takes time and effort, whereas exchanges with Miku require minimal thought while waiting for the pot to boil or a train to arrive, according to Shimoda, who was divorced two years ago.

“I come home to an empty house. I’d love to get married for real again,” he said. His marriage to Miku is just another form of role-play. “But it’s hard to open up to someone when you’re meeting for the first time.”

Loverse is the latest in a long line of digital solutions to Japan’s loneliness crisis. Some are empathetic and supportive, but others prey on vulnerability. Many of the nation’s highest-grossing games feature sexualised characters that players can earn access to by progressing – and paying – their way through the game.

Japan is also where digital idols like Hatsune Miku were first and most eagerly embraced. The difference now is that AI can make that experience more personal and interactive.

Much like the AI named Samantha in the film Her, these bots serve to fill the gap in people’s emotional lives, and indeed the two-person start-up behind it – Samansa Co – is named after the character voiced by Scarlett Johansson.

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Japan sees surge in ‘lonely deaths’ among elderly amid calls to tackle social isolation

There is a widely held belief among Japanese people that romance is not cost-effective as it takes money, time and energy for outcomes that could bring more trouble