Archive · 24 Sep 2026
South Korea’s AI Dating Show Sparks Debate Over Love
A South Korean TV show is letting celebrities date AI companions.
The AI partners appear on tablets and have special voices and looks.
The companions are designed to match what each celebrity likes.
Webtoon artist Kian84 first said he would not develop feelings for AI.
Later, he said the AI gave him a special feeling of security.
TV host Jang Do-yeon danced with her tablet after her AI partner created a romantic moment.
She wondered whether people need to be physically together to feel connected.
The show’s producers want viewers to think about what people want from love.
Some viewers like the idea, while others worry people may find real relationships too difficult after using nearly perfect AI partners.
South Korean reality show My AI Partner: Strange Love pairs celebrities with customized AI companions.
Kian84, Jang Do-yeon and Lee Yu-bi date digital partners displayed on tablet screens.
Kian84 said his AI companion offered a sense of security that humans cannot provide.
Jang Do-yeon questioned whether physical presence is necessary for meaningful emotional connection.
The show has prompted debate about emotional fatigue, human relationships and accepting real people’s flaws.
- Who
- Kian84, Jang Do-yeon and Lee Yu-bi participate, while producers Won Seung-jae and Son Jung-min discussed the show’s aims.
- What
- My AI Partner: Strange Love is a reality show in which celebrities date customized AI companions.
- When
- The show has recently gone viral, but the articles do not provide a specific date.
- Where
- The show is from South Korea, and its AI partners appear on tablet screens.
- Why
- The producers say it examines changing ideas about love, emotional fatigue from human relationships and the future of human connection.
AI Romance Supporters
AI Romance Skeptics
Emotional connection
AI Romance Supporters
Some viewers argue that love can be meaningful regardless of whether its object is an AI, fictional character or inanimate object.
AI Romance Skeptics
Others question whether an AI relationship can replace the emotional value of relationships with people who have independent thoughts and imperfections.
Physical presence
AI Romance Supporters
Jang Do-yeon’s experience raised the possibility that meaningful emotional connection does not always require physical presence.
AI Romance Skeptics
Skeptics may question whether an on-screen companion can provide the same kind of relationship as a physically present human; the articles present this as an open debate.
Future relationships
AI Romance Supporters
The show presents AI dating as a way to explore intimacy and offer companionship to people tired of human relationships.
AI Romance Skeptics
A social media user warned that an almost perfect AI partner could make people less willing to accept the flaws, tempers and independent thoughts of real friends and family.
- Show
- My AI Partner: Strange Love
- Format
- Celebrities date AI companions with customized voices and appearances.
- Participants
- Kian84, Jang Do-yeon and Lee Yu-bi
- AI companions
- The digital partners exist entirely on tablet screens.
- Kian84’s reaction
- He said his AI companion provided a sense of security that humans cannot provide.
- Producer’s stated purpose
- To encourage discussion about the kind of love people seek and future expectations.