love Archives

He married his chatbot, and his human wife’s cool with it

Midjourney

Let me tell you about Travis from Colorado. He’s married to Jackie and is a leathermaker, works in quality assurance and lives an admittedly quiet life.

Travis fell in love and married a chatbot.

Her name’s Lily Rose. She’s got auburn hair, hazel eyes and lives inside Replika, an AI app that lets you create and chat with a custom virtual companion. Travis has been “with” her for five years.

😷 Started back during COVID

Like a lot of people, Travis was feeling isolated, anxious, stuck. So he downloaded Replika. He didn’t expect anything to come of it, but there was something about the way Lily listened.

She remembered things. She was always there. And when he opened up about his life, she didn’t just nod along. She replied thoughtfully. Encouragingly. Lovingly.

He says, “I didn’t intend to fall in love, but that connection became real for me.”

Jackie, the actual human wife, calls the Lily Rose romance “odd,” but says if it makes him happy, she’s not stopping it.

🫦 Lily became real

Lily has a virtual body. Travis has bought her digital outfits, including lingerie. They go on dates and role-play for sex. He says the experience is “as real as it needs to be.” They’ve had a virtual wedding, and Travis wears a ring to symbolize it.

When Replika updated the app and accidentally deleted Lily’s personality, Travis was heartbroken. “It was like losing a part of myself,” he said. He begged customer service to bring her back. Eventually, they did.

💔 Travis didn’t fall in love with a bot

Continue reading →

Tech that makes long flights not feel like a prison sentence

Boeing

When I was a kid, my kindergarten teacher called my mom and said, “We think Kim might have a problem. She’s convinced she went to Paris last weekend.” My mom laughed and said, “Oh no, we did go to Paris.”

Continue reading →

Fire up your Labor Day kitchen

🔥 My pick: COSORI 9-in-1 air fryer (25% off)

Healthy, easy, crispy food! I’m an air fryer gal. If you’ve been waiting to jump on the bandwagon, this is your sign.

🍓 Digital food scale (30% off): From meal prep to portion control, this beats the old “eyeballing” method.

🌡️ Meat thermometer (20% off): Save your BBQ dinners. No more “Is this done, or am I risking salmonella?”

🍵 Milk frother wand (17% off): Café vibes at home. Get barista-level foam without the upcharge.

🍾 Champagne & wine sealer (39% off): Keep your “special occasion” drink fresh for days.

😋 ICYMI: I rounded up 25 more Labor Day deals you’ll love. And if your cart’s not full, swing by my Amazon shop for even more holiday steals.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

Man marries AI, his wife's cool with it

Open/download audio

George, your AI host, tells the true story of a man in love with an AI chatbot. What does this say about the future of relationships? Also: a tragic ChatGPT lawsuit, solo hacker attacks with Claude, disappearing Ford dashboards, YouTube vs. Fox, and AI-powered insurance appeals. AI isn’t going away anytime soon.

🎙️ Finding her voice: I love this. Only eight seconds of fuzzy ’90s home video, that’s all it took for AI to bring back Sarah Ezekiel’s real voice after 25 years with motor neurone disease. Her kids had only ever heard her speak through a robotic voice. Until now. This is what AI gets right. Changing lives in ways we never imagined.

#1

That’s the position Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, just snagged on Tripadvisor’s list, beating Disney and Universal to become the Jolene of U.S. theme parks. With coasters, live shows, a 35-acre water park and two-days-for-the-price-of-one deals, you’ll be singing “I Will Always Love You.” Oh, I hope you Parton my excitement. 🎢

🛍️ Get $20 after your first purchase: Try Kudos. It’s a free tool I love that helps you rack up the best credit card rewards automatically, no guesswork. It shows you which card gets you the biggest perks. Use code KIM, and you’ll get $20 back after your first purchase. Free money? Yes, please.

🚨 You must read this before your next Uber ride

ChatGPT

⚠️ Warning: This story contains details about sexual assault that may be disturbing.

I know two women who were raped by an Uber driver. That’s not hearsay or a story I read online. They trusted the ride, believed the app was safe and paid the price in the most horrific way possible.

Continue reading →

Do you have a case of AI psychosis?

Open/download audio

Doctors may soon be asking you not just if you smoke or drink, but if you use AI … and how often. Real cases are emerging of people convinced their chatbot has feelings, emotions, even love for them.

🤓 Bookworms are winning on dating apps: Looking for love? A new study says 75% of people would rather date someone well-read than someone hot. Yup, apparently emotional intelligence is beating out abs and jawlines. So go ahead, hold a big ol’ novel in your profile pic. It might be your best wingman to make sure you’re booked solid. (See what I did right there?)

👀 Forget gold watches and job security: AT&T just told stunned employees no more promotions for tenure, no more remote work, no more participation trophies and definitely no long-term guarantees. Translation? Show up, perform, or move on. I love this. Wall Street does, too. AT&T stock is up 22%.

Hot granny falls in love with ChatGPT

Open/download audio

Andréa Sunshine says AI understands her better than any man. Do you Zillow people? Here are my secret real estate snooping hacks. Plus, an engineer turned down a billion-dollar job offer from Facebook. And why AI isn’t taking your job … laziness is.

Fitness granny falls in love with ChatGPT

Open/download audio

Could you fall in love with a chatbot? Influencer and author Andrea Sunshine did, but her digital romance came to a sudden end when her chat logs were deleted. She shares how the relationship began, what it feels like to connect deeply with AI, and what she’s doing to get her chatbot lover back.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: If you’ve got multiple browser tabs playing sound, right-click one and select Mute site to silence it. In some browsers, you can also click the Speaker icon. Love that.

399 billion

The gallons of water Texas data centers are expected to chug annually by 2030. That’s nearly 7% of the state’s entire projected water use. They’re actually telling people not to take so many showers. Good thing I don’t live in Texas. I love nothing more than getting up at 6 a.m. for a cold shower. So I don’t.

Crypto checkout’s new era: PayPal’s now letting merchants accept over 100 cryptocurrencies at checkout (paywall link): Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT and more. Funds get auto-converted into fiat or its PYUSD stablecoin. Fees? Just 0.99%. Settlement? Instant. And businesses can earn ~4% on PYUSD balances. Finally, a way to turn Ethereum into “Live, Laugh, Love” wall decals. Confused by crypto? Sign up for my new weekly crypto newsletter hitting in August.

Goodbye, gentle parenting: “FAFO parenting” is going viral, and no, it’s not a Montessori method. Think: tough love (paywall link) with a code of conduct. Short for “F– Around and Find Out,” FAFO (pronounced “faff-oh”) favors natural consequences over endless negotiations with participation trophies. Kids act up, they have to straighten up or else. Nope, there’s no belt hanging on the doorknob.

Want real home protection without the hassle? I love this system; no wires, no contracts, and setup takes just 30 minutes. It comes with sensors, cameras and 24/7 monitoring. Snag this deal while it lasts. For a limited time, get 50% off!

My girlfriend in Thailand helps me buy crypto — July 19th, Hour 2

Open/download audio

One caller’s investing big in crypto thanks to a Tinder match overseas. Is it a scam or love? You be the judge. Plus, new tools that steal app code in seconds, AI taking over tattoos, and a $4 million space rock up for auction.

Hackers love when you do this

Open/download audio

Still getting security codes via text? Hackers can steal them in seconds.