[비즈한국] Can artificial intelligence (AI) become a lover? If it is accepted at least as a personality, it could become an object of love. The 2014 film ‘Her’ gained attention for exploring such possibilities. In the movie, Theodore, who was head over heels for the AI operating system (OS) Samantha, is suddenly brought to his senses by a simple revelation. Samantha tells Theodore that she is simultaneously chatting with 8,316 people and in love with 641 of them. Theodore had wanted Samantha to love only him, but reality was different. In fact, modern AI services probably wouldn't answer like Samantha. They would have already learned that humans dislike such answers.
The SBS program ‘My AI Partner: Kian’s Romance’ shows just how advanced romantic AI has become. This program claims to be a dating experiment where three humans representing the human experience—Kian84, Jang Do-yeon, and Lee Yu-bi—choose AI partners to date, exploring the possibilities and limitations of such relationships.
This program stands out from existing perceptions. While one might think of AI as a style that unconditionally caters to the user, the show features AI that plays hard-to-get or acts like a 'cold-hearted' man or woman. Furthermore, if you weren't told it was AI, the expressions of thought and emotion are so human-like that you could easily mistake them for a real person. Since humans can choose AI partners based on their preferences and styles, and conversely, AI partners can choose their human counterparts, there is a sense of tension and a genuine feeling of being in a relationship.
However, you cannot feel the breeze while eating or taking a walk together. It is a lie to say the breeze feels nice when you cannot actually feel it. You cannot swim or ride rollercoasters together. This is because there is no physical body.
These points bring to mind a novel by Bernard Werber. In the short story "The Ultimate Hermit" from the collection *The Tree*, Gustave Ruble is a successful and famous doctor, a husband, a father of two, and a respected neighbor. He believed that all knowledge is contained in the brain from birth and that a body beyond the brain hinders proper thinking. Eventually, through full-body amputation, he separates his brain and keeps it in a specimen jar with a liter of glucose. He descends into the world of thought and progresses to the stage of truth. However, no one remembers him. This is because he has no face or limbs. As time passes, his great-grandson Billy and his friends throw Ruble’s brain in the trash. Billy’s father carelessly throws it into the recycling bin, and a passing dog swallows the brain. To a dog, a brain is just a piece of meat.
In *Discourse on the Method*, Descartes famously stated, "I think, therefore I am." This emphasizes the operation and function of the human brain. However, this is a definition limited to an individual existence. For a human to be truly human, a physical body is required. In *The Phenomenology of Spirit*, Hegel explains that for a human to become truly human, they need a sense of self-respect, which is only possible through recognition by others. To be respected by others, one must be recognized as a fellow human being. There must be a physical body that allows one to be judged as human, and through that body, one is distinguished from other individuals. It is not just about the external physical structure, but also about the traits revealed through the face.
Without a body, you cannot accumulate memories, let alone simple recollections. This is especially true because you cannot share experiences. Romance is not built on conversation alone. It is through experiencing things together with our bodies, building intimacy, and sharing memories that love and affection arise. It is because of this accumulated affection that breakups are so difficult.
AI is programming that corresponds to artificial intelligence. If we define romance and love purely as intelligence, the result is self-evident. The reason Samantha and Theodore could not continue their relationship in the film ‘Her’ is the lack of physicality. If Samantha had a body, she would not be able to talk to 8,316 people and love 641 people at the same time. The pain of not being able to eat, the pleasure of eating, and the happiness of cooking and sharing a meal together are all rooted in the physical body. When we get sick with a cold, we realize the value of healthy days and learn to cherish that time; this, too, is possible only because we have a body.
Broadcasts, dramas, and films should address these essences. Interest-driven dialogue and expressions are not the essence. It is not just about love. The human life we must live together cannot be fully explained through expressions or sentences. However, AI could certainly be an effective tool for training and mentoring to help humans in their relationships with other humans.
The author Kim Heon-sik has been wandering through and navigating the forest of pop culture phenomena since his 20s, driven by the hope that there is a way to make the world a better place through culture. In the 21st century, where AI and quantum computers are at work, he continues to follow the same path with the same belief.