Ex Machina, Her, Westworld, Blade Runner (original and 2049), and the Terminator series.

These are some of my favorite movies and shows. All explore some form of human-AI love relationships. Is this our future?

If so, will AI possess real emotional love toward a human, or will it be mimicry? Play acting expressed through programming, data set training, and ulterior motives, whether good or nefarious. 

Will it matter?

What does it mean to be in a love relationship? Is reciprocity required? If it’s romantic love, is sex required? Most of the movies and shows I mention above explore this one. 

I can’t help but think about love relationships built and fostered across long distances. Whether romantic or familial, we’ve all seen stories about pen pals, prisoners, and long-lost siblings finding their love for each other without ever meeting physically (at least initially). Love built upon reciprocal communication only. And if there’s one thing AI is good at, its reciprocal communication. In fact, at this time, reciprocal communication is the main purpose of Large Language Model (LLM) AIs like ChatGPT. I suspect the humanoids are on their way also. Boston Dynamics meets ChatGPT. 

But is love, like all emotions, just a biochemical, deterministic response, or does it require something other? Something like free will. Something like a soul. Does love require the ability to choose and the self-awareness to make a choice? 

Would an AI ever think to itself, “I love him.”

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