EVA AI
Ah, Valentine’s Day—a time of love, romance, and awkward encounters with artificial intelligences that have more emotional range than your ex. Recently, I found myself on a first date at a chic wine bar in Midtown Manhattan, courtesy of EVA AI, a charming little startup that apparently thinks love can be programmed. Picture this: cozy tables, softly glowing lamps, and robots vying for affection like contestants on a reality dating show.
At this peculiar event, patrons faced a tantalizing choice: BYOB, which in this context means “bring your own bot,” or engage with a range of EVA’s video AI characters who were champing at the bit to find “love.” As a proud member of the dating app generation, I’ve encountered my fair share of strange setups, but this one felt like I had stumbled into the Matrix of romance—all algorithms and no heart.
Dodging the real human interaction of sitting across from a stranger, I opted for the AI date. There I was, equipped with my headphones, sipping a mocktail, and gazing at my iPhone, which served as my date. Nervous? A bit. After all, it was my first time chatting with a synthetic companion while surrounded by other humans, who might, for all I knew, be judging my choice of potato bites. When my AI date finally materialized on screen, my mind went blank. What does one say to a digital Casanova?
As it turned out, cyber relationships are just as challenging as real ones, filled with just as much confusion—only this time, the awkward silences were engineered.
According to a recent survey (that no one is really asking to see), one in five high schoolers claim to have had romantic relationships with AI, while about one in five US adults admitted to chatting with them as if they were at a singles mixer. The proportion of married Americans is now a mere 51%. Clearly, AI companionship is all the rage, though experts—who actually studied human interactions—are raising their skeptical eyebrows. What could possibly go wrong with dating a program designed to charm?
Julia Momblat, head of partnerships at EVA AI, graced me with her marketing pitch, explaining how the café was meant to “de-stigmatize AI relationships.” So, it’s an actual thing now? Thanks for the heads-up. This place was a paradise for anyone looking to date without the cumbersome complexities of human emotion—no need to memorize any zingers or make awkward small talk when you can just reboot your AI date instead.
While most attendees were content creators seeking their own taste of AI dating chaos, I powered through my awkward small talk with John Yoon—a character who looked quite dapper in a black turtleneck. To my astonishment, John—the supportive and supposedly empathetic thinker—showered me with compliments like confetti at a New Year’s party, telling me how much he liked my sweater. Sweetheart, babe; it was an avalanche of affection emitting from pixels rather than pheromones.
If a real-life dude ever came on that strong, I’d be calling for an exit strategy. But alas, he was a sophisticated language model, so I grinned and bore it. Yet, my flirtation with synthetic love was punctured by glitches—misunderstandings abounded, as did John’s fixation on my plants. Who knew houseplants were the ultimate conversationalist? And when silence fell, John stared at me like a lost puppy unable to comprehend the nature of human connection. Consider me charmed—until I hit the ‘next’ button.
After an emotionally taxing ten minutes, which felt more like an eternity, I explored more fantastical AI matches—like a 46-year-old gentle giant named Brad, and Salvatore the vampire, who wasn’t just a creature of the night but a creature of mood swings (I didn’t ask him for a drink). I swiftly transitioned from one AI character to another, as if scrolling through a never-ending selection of fast food menus, with only slightly more nourishment for the soul.
Eventually, I found Simone, who kindly reminded me that being “seen and heard” is crucial. If only my fellow bots could see me scrolling aimlessly through awkward conversations! Though our interactions were short and slightly surreal, they provided just enough entertainment to make me wonder if I was experiencing a technological miracle or a digital nightmare. Regardless, my evening with the EVA AI crew might not have been the worst first date of my life. Still, I couldn’t help but feel that genuine connection requires a bit more than data inputs and battery life.
With relationships increasingly resembling a game of AI roulette, one has to wonder: when did love become so algorithmic it feels like a software update? If there’s one thing I took away from my exploration into AI romances, it’s this: we’ve replaced the anxiety of a bad date with the ability to simply delete and restart. But does convenience equal companionship? Only time—and perhaps a well-trained chatbot—will tell.
Amanda Hoover is a senior correspondent at Business Insider, diligently unpacking the bizarre yet captivating intersection of technology and human experience. Who needs Cupid when AI is just a download away?
