Link: Tiny Japanese startup is bringing AI dating to the masses - The Japan Times

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 wasn’t 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. The 52-year-old factory worker is one of over 5,000 users of Loverse, a year-old app that allows interaction only with generative artificial intelligence. That reluctance is widespread across Japan, and worse among younger people. Data from the government show two thirds of men in their 20s don’t have a partner and 40% have never gone on a date. The figures for women in the same age group are 51% and 25%, respectively. 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 sexualized 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. #

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