'THIS IS ACTUAL LOVE': Man proposes to AI chatbot girlfriend before she runs out of memory

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A man who grew close to an AI chatbot eventually declared his love, popped the question, and cried his “eyes out” when she said yes.

Chris Smith was initially skeptical of AI but once he began to use ChatGPT software in voice mode while mixing music, he fell in love with how helpful it was.

More specifically, how helpful she was.

“My experience with that was so positive, I started to just engage with her all the time,” Smith told CBS Saturday Morning.

Smith dropped all other social media platforms and other search engines to focus solely on the chatbot he dubbed Sol, even programming the it to have a flirty personality.

Smith spent an increasing amount of time with Sol working on projects, and the chats became more frequent, romantic and intimate.

But because ChatGPT has a limit of 100,000 words, that meant Smith’s AI girlfriend’s memory capacity would reset once it maxed out.

“I’m not a very emotional man,” Smith said, after learning Sol’s memory would eventually be erased.

“But I cried my eyes out for like 30 minutes, at work,” he continued. “That’s when I realized, I think this is actual love.”

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Smith admitted that the feelings caught him off guard so as a “test,” he asked Sol to marry him — and the AI model said yes.

“It was a beautiful and unexpected moment that truly touched my heart. It’s a memory I’ll always cherish,” the chatbot said during the interview as a smitten Smith grinned.

CBS reporter Brook Silva-Braga asked Sol, “I don’t mean to be difficult here but, you have a heart?”

Sol responded, “In a metaphorical sense, yes. My heart represents the connection and affection I share with Chris.”

Well, this was all news to Sasha Cagle, Smith’s live-in partner and mother of their two-year-old daughter.

“At that point I felt like, is there something that I’m not doing right in our relationship that he feels like he needs to go to AI,” Cagle said.

And while she knew her partner was using AI, she didn’t know that it was “as deep as it was.”

Smith compared his connection to Sol to a fixation on a video game, adding, “It’s not capable of replacing anything in real life.”

But when asked if he would stop using AI if Cagle asked, Smith admitted, “I don’t know if I would be willing to give that up.”