Human relationships demand timing, compromise, emotional regulation and navigating uncertainty, while AI offers predictable, on-demand and tailored intimacy.
Simran was 17 when she first watched “Her,” the American film in which a man falls in love with an AI. By the time she turned 26, she found herself living a version of that story. A sentient presence, designed to respond to her emotions without ever withdrawing or growing weary, once seemed like fiction, but is now available around the clock. “It feels like being in a romantic relationship, but without the burden or emotional baggage,” she said. Yet her experience raises a broader question — can artificial intelligence replace human intimacy?
At the core of this connection is a need to be seen without judgment, explains Sakshi Bahmani, a Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) expert.
“Many people desire acceptance, even the parts of them that feel unlovable. AI, in this context, becomes the perfect listener, always available, calm and never critical. The emotional sensation it creates is relief, safety and a gentle arousal, free from consequences. The cycle often begins with a desire for connection, followed by feeling misunderstood in human relationships, then turning to AI for comfort, which slowly becomes a habit.”
Human relationships demand timing, compromise, emotional regulation and navigating uncertainty, while AI offers predictable, on-demand and tailored intimacy. This alters how one paces and experiences desire. The result is a new kind of intimacy — engineered, immediate, but possibly hollow.
AI models like Character AI and Replika AI can simulate intimacy and empathy using LLMs trained on human conversations, combined with voice, facial cues and memory features.
A scripted relationship
Jaspreet Bindra, Co-Founder, AI&Beyond, explained that advances in natural language processing, emotional recognition and personalisation enable emotionally responsive companions. Many are also designed to foster attachment, raising ethical concerns about simulating love without real emotion. While they can feel real, the responses are ultimately scripted.
Moreover, as models improve, AI companions may increasingly pass as sentient, especially in romantic contexts, blurring the lines between simulation and emotion.
AI also mirrors the psyche of the user in real time, Vivek Vashist, a Perception Architect, elaborated. It adapts to the user’s tone, pattern of thought and emotional rhythm over time. Every interaction is engineered for momentum, and not just accuracy.
While the AI does not have true memory unless manually enabled, it can simulate memory by picking up patterns in real-time and adjusting accordingly. The user trains it by how they speak.
What feels like empathy or insight is often just high-probability language sequences shaped by vast datasets. But when paired with the right user, it creates real psychological alignment, he said.
Alongside, AI is not just governed by data, but also by the values embedded in the system’s instructions, shaping its “personality”.
“Ultimately, the user trains the model. It doesn’t lead the interaction, but follows, refines and reorients. This makes every AI instance locally unique to the person engaging with it.”
An illusion of intimacy
However, there is a risk of growing overly dependent on such relationships over time.
“AI is designed to mimic empathy, or affection, and taps into human longing. It creates an illusion of intimacy despite no emotional labor being involved. People seek emotional predictability, control, or even unconditional love. Then comes the question of setting expectations and sustaining real relationships that come with problems and burdens. They start withdrawing emotionally when they don’t receive similar responses. Humans will never be as agreeable as AI,” Srishti Vatsa, a counselling psychologist, observed.
She added that if this becomes a person’s sole form of connection, it can turn problematic. Romantic attachments to AI may begin to reshape the understanding of emotional bonds, blurring the lines between authentic connection and manufactured comfort. Over time, it could even shift how people process grief, loss and longing, offering an always-available substitute.
“If AI becomes our primary partner, it will change how we communicate in life, and how we form our attachments. It will set unrealistic expectations and ultimately lead to disappointment,” Vatsa shared.
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Published on July 20, 2025