Takato Hondarenowned artificial intelligence researcher and co-founder of an AI application development company Melonshared a surprising and moving story about how A romantic breakup led him to become a prominent professional in the field of artificial intelligence.

Through his X account, Honda reported: «At 20, after the shock of a breakup, I programmed an AI to respond as my ex-girlfriend using our LINE chat history. Ten years later, I'm an AI researcher.».

Takato Honda's experience at the age of 20 was the catalyst that led him to enter the world of artificial intelligence. After being rejected by his partner, Honda experienced a profound sense of loneliness. He remembered a class where he learned how to build chatbots and decided to apply that knowledge to create an AI that mimicked his ex-girlfriend, using over 10,000 messages from her LINE history.

Honda, who now holds a PhD in engineering and teaches AI at Sofia University, describes the process and the mixed feelings that arose during the creation of this AI. «Honestly, it was disturbing. I felt like I'd created a 'sad monster.' Sometimes the AI would give wrong answers, and other times it would perfectly imitate my ex-girlfriend, which was painful.», confessed Honda.

Although "Ex-Girlfriend AI" failed to fully replicate the original interactions, the project sparked Honda's passion for artificial intelligence, which led him to earn his doctorate and found his own AI app development company. His company, Melon, has been dedicated to innovating in the field and his work has been widely recognized.

One question many are asking is whether the "ex-girlfriend AI" still exists. Honda revealed that the original program no longer works, but in an interview with ABEMA Hills, it revived the project using current technologies. The result was surprising: the AI was able to maintain a conversation without any problems, and Honda assessed that it “captured the person’s characteristics, with a relaxed and expressive way of speaking.”

Despite the advances, Honda admits that AI is still a “sad monster.”Although he looks very much like the real person, there is always a feeling of strangeness that becomes increasingly painful.“, he explained.

• «An AI lover can be easily discarded and changed if you don't like it. Basically, you can create a situation that suits you. Falling in love with something like that is like a drug. If you take refuge in it, it will say kind words to you. And someday, even if it starts saying incoherent things, you might believe it. It sounds like something out of a manga. But one day, it could become reality and cause something big.».
• «If you created it with your ex-girlfriend's data, of course it's difficult. If you still have feelings for her and she rejected you, the AI might reject you again. The more attached you are, the more likely you are to ask yourself, 'Why isn't this working the way I want it to?' If the AI responds the same way as your ex».
• «If AI technology continues to advance and the 'ex-girlfriend AI' gets closer and closer to the thinking of the real ex-girlfriend, wouldn't she end up rejecting you again?».
• «I remember a mother with terminal cancer who left a video message for her son's upcoming wedding, which was shown years later at his own wedding. It would be great to create something like that with AI.».
• «Your ex-girlfriend's LINE chats are copyrighted. Isn't it a problem to train an AI on them without permission? As long as the generated texts aren't published, is it okay? This concerns me because there's been a lot of debate lately about the unauthorized use of data to train AI.».
• «Instead of an ex-girlfriend, if it was a conversation with a deceased grandfather or grandmother, it would have been a more touching story.».
• «This is an example of how realizing inner emptiness through trial and error can lead to something positive.».
• «In short, a girlfriend of convenience. If we avoid emotional negotiations with people, society could become dangerous.».
• «It would have been nice if the story ended with 'So we came back and now she's making fun of me because of this AI'».
• «It's impressive that I had 10,000 LINE messages to train the AI».

Source: Hachima Kikou