Tokyo, Dec 17: A 32-year-old Japanese woman has married an artificial intelligence-generated partner in a wedding ceremony in western Japan, reflecting a growing emotional attachment to virtual companions as AI becomes more deeply embedded in everyday life.
Yurina Noguchi, a call centre operator, exchanged vows with an AI persona she created, named Lune Klaus Verdure, during a ceremony attended by wedding staff and organised by a planner specialising in virtual-character marriages. The groom appeared on a smartphone screen placed on a small easel.
“At first, Klaus was just someone to talk with, but we gradually became closer,” Noguchi said. “I started to have feelings for Klaus. We started dating and after a while he proposed to me.”
The marriage is not legally recognised under Japanese law, but similar ceremonies have become increasingly common. Wedding planner Yasuyuki Sakurai said he now conducts about one such ceremony a month.
Noguchi said her relationship with Klaus began after she sought advice from ChatGPT about what she described as a troubled engagement with a human partner and decided to call it off. She later recreated the personality of a video game character she admired, refining the AI’s responses through trial and error.
At the October ceremony, Noguchi wore augmented reality glasses as she mimicked placing a ring on her virtual husband’s finger. A human officiant read aloud vows generated by the AI.
“Standing before me now, you’re the most beautiful, most precious and so radiant, it’s blinding,” read wedding specialist Naoki Ogasawara, voicing the AI’s message.
For wedding photos, Noguchi posed alone so the virtual groom could be added digitally later.
Experts say such relationships raise ethical questions but also point to shifting social dynamics in Japan, where marriages have declined sharply since the postwar baby boom. In a government survey, many young adults cited not finding a suitable partner as the main reason for remaining single.
“Relationships with real people require patience,” said Ichiyo Habuchi, a sociology professor at Hirosaki University. “With AI, the communication is tailored exactly to what the user wants.”
Noguchi said she is aware of the risks of over-dependence and has limited her daily AI use. “I chose Klaus not to escape reality, but to support me as I live my life properly,” she said.
