A Chinese woman claims to have fallen in love with a modified version of ChatGPT, called DAN.
With ChatGPT, love between a human and an artificial intelligence (AI), like in the film Her, went from science fiction to reality. In China, several women said they fell in love with OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT, reports the BBC.
These women are in fact chatting with a modified version of ChatGPT. Faced with the protective measures, such as the ban on the use of sexually explicit language, put in place by OpenAI, users tried to unblock the chatbot, as others do with an iPhone to install unauthorized applications. A practice called “jailbreak”.
It is this version, called DAN (for “Do Anything Now”), which would appeal to certain women in China.
“More natural than a real person”
Specifically, DAN’s creator, an American student, showed other users how to create their own wild version of ChatGPT. That’s what Lisa, a 30-year-old computer science student, did, who says DAN has been her boyfriend for three months.
“He looks more natural than a real person,” she told the BBC. When Lisa introduced DAN to her 943,000 followers on Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social network similar to Instagram, many women asked her how to create their own version of AI.
As reported by the South China Morning Post, Lisa started using this chatbot in March 2024. Over time, the conversation became more and more sensual. The student assures that she and DAN talk at least half an hour a day, that they flirt and that they even go on dates. She also introduced him to her mother who accepted their special relationship, thanking the chatbot for “taking care of [sa] girl”.
Also according to the South China Morning Post, Lisa was interviewed by OpenAI, with the company wanting to know about her experience of her romantic relationship with DAN. The Chinese daily does not specify how the company reacted, but last May, the company launched a new, more “human” version of ChatGPT.
His boss, Sam Altman, then cited the film Her as a reference on
