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AI girlfriend ads are flooding Instagram and TikTok

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Re: AI girlfriend ads are flooding Instagram and TikTok

#101
post #35

The Blade Runner 2049 girlfriend style may be the future, and I wonder what effects it will have on society. In a decade or two, we may have AI entities with minds so lifelike that you can't differentiate them from real people. You might wear AR goggles that allow you to see them anywhere in your home, wear a suit that lets you feel their touch and engage in intimate interactions. This perfect AI partner, tailored to…

I had the “fortune” to experience what happens to a budding physical relationship when your nose suddenly stops working, thanks to covid.

What happened was that a previously powerful physical chemistry would fizzle a few minutes into the act, leaving me empty, puzzled, and upset.

That experience showed me that, unless we somehow manage virtual smells and pheromones, no amount of vr or haptics will make that bladerunner girlfriend all that appealing.

Re: AI girlfriend ads are flooding Instagram and TikTok

#102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any concerns that this is having a negative impact on your development? For whatever its worth I dont think you’re alone on this. Im just asking because you are owning it.

Development? Is OP under the age of 22 or something?

Development doesnt stop at 22. Think development of sex life, character, self-confidence, social skills, etc.

Re: AI girlfriend ads are flooding Instagram and TikTok

#103

I for one am interested why it's specifically AI girlfriend ads and not AI boyfriend ads. Heterosexual women are huge consumers of e.g. dating simulators, romance books, et al. that envision perfect men, bad boys with sweet hearts, wealthy powerful high-earning men who somehow always make time for the beloved. You'd think there'd be just as many AI boyfriend ads-- what teenaged girl wouldn't pay huge money to date $p…

Because men & women are still overall looking for something different, that's my 2 cents. What you say about the romance publishing industry is roughly correct although your algo description flattens the diversity of the genre (note the popularity of shapeshifter novels, paranormal, Amish with no sex, etc etc; there are many subgenres). What you don't note is the distinction between romance and erotica. Romance has a story with a happily ever after. Can TikTok or Instagram AI Boyfriend ads provide a story satisfactorily?

I'm not sure if research has really addressed evolution of women's expressions of sexuality over time and changing social norms. Even in the romance genre, what's considered appropriate in terms of consent and fantasy has evolved quite a bit over the last 40 years. That's true in terms of porn aimed at straight men as well, though not necessarily in the same directions.

But anyhow, how would AI boyfriends continue what's popular about romance -- the customization (subgenre for every taste), the story, and the happily ever after or happy for now for the woman? The last part in particular doesn't seem to be relevant/considered in the AI girlfriend discussion, it's just not part of the structure.

Also, dating sims seem to be popular in some geographies and not others; I know nothing about them, so there's got to be a story there...

Re: AI girlfriend ads are flooding Instagram and TikTok

#104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Development? Is OP under the age of 22 or something?

Development doesnt stop at 22. Think development of sex life, character, self-confidence, social skills, etc.

I suppose some people like to think that.

Re: AI girlfriend ads are flooding Instagram and TikTok

#105

I might as well be a Christian fundamentalist when it comes to porn. Its irredeemable. I have no hangups about sex. Sex is not bad. Porn is not sex. It’s disturbing to think about a future where porn becomes more immersive and engaging.

> disturbing to think about

Why, exactly? Every time somebody tries to defend that position it either becomes a circular argument (x is bad because it leads to more x!) or a non-sequitir (there was once a guy who did x and he became a mass murderer!). It doesn't destroy your lungs and kill you like smoking does or cause you to crash your car and kill other people like drinking does - in the worst case, it just turns you into a recluse which I believe is exactly what women _want_ of the unwanted men who find refuge in it. They certainly don't want those men trying to talk to them.

Re: AI girlfriend ads are flooding Instagram and TikTok

#106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm asking why the demand is not as high for male AI partners, when other media which also simulates male romantic partnership has HUGE demand. Just look at how much erotica makes. How many weird fetish stories are posted on fanfiction sites where the reader is a character. How much money stupid things like Boyfriend Dungeon (a real thing! a dungeon crawler where you date your exclusively-male weapons!) makes! You'd…

All of those "simulate" not just a companion, but the whole relationship scenario, which I've been told is what women are attracted to? Whereas men are simpler creatures attracted to any woman that is visually hot. The former is a lot harder to implement than the latter.

But the whole relationship scenario exactly what you'd want an AI partner for, is my bafflement. If I want porn I have plenty of free stuff on PornHub et al. There's no reason to get an intelligent anything, artificial or not, if I actually just want generated fap material. It's obviously selling companionship as well as porn, which is definitely more what I see in erotica, which I already know is fairly formuliac as it is-- basically like porn. So I'm asking: why is it so skewed, because there's clearly a mix of both appeals here. If it was a40/60 or a 70/30 skew, okay because ads are primarily visual attractors. But this makes it sound more like 90/10 or 95/5, which makes no sense to me, I know that fake relationships with hot men is one of the few ways you can make a good income as a self published author.

Re: AI girlfriend ads are flooding Instagram and TikTok

#107

I for one am interested why it's specifically AI girlfriend ads and not AI boyfriend ads. Heterosexual women are huge consumers of e.g. dating simulators, romance books, et al. that envision perfect men, bad boys with sweet hearts, wealthy powerful high-earning men who somehow always make time for the beloved. You'd think there'd be just as many AI boyfriend ads-- what teenaged girl wouldn't pay huge money to date $p…

Here's an idea nobody has brought up yet: AI boyfriends are not good enough yet.

Romance plots involve an intricate and complicated progression of emotions. Lonely guys need a lot less and don't mind skipping the romancing part of the romantic experience.

Re: AI girlfriend ads are flooding Instagram and TikTok

#108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe because (1) “under a certain age and bodyweight” and (2) women who are in monogamous relationships but use Romance as a kind of escapism.

So like... only a portion of women. How is this any different from men? Again, this doesn't at all explain why this is so heavily heterosexual male skewed. It's not like a significant portion of women are hot 20somethings-- if anything, the proportion is skewed older compared to men simply because women live longer. I bet grandma would spend hella social security to be doted on by a hot shirtless lawyer.

Hrmph. An engineering program might be composed of 95% males. That doesn't mean that most men are engineers or engineers in training. That's not the case at all.

Things don't have to apply to all men/women in order for things to be very lopsided.

Re: AI girlfriend ads are flooding Instagram and TikTok

#109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It will increase it. Porn is cheap gratification without deeper emotional connection. I don't think that people can grow without being challenged by others and AI cannot be programmed to challenge us.

> Porn is cheap gratification without deeper emotional connection. I don't think that people can grow without being challenged by others and AI cannot be programmed to challenge us. I disagree. The potential is there, it just takes someone willing to do it. The incentives all align with making sexbots since they provide instant gratification. In reality, it's surrogacy-turned-dependence. There is a time and place for…

I actually agree with you. Technology could be a multiplier and an enabler if it is a medium for communication instead of an insulator from difficulties. I might be a bit cynical though because I suspect that people would use it the easier way. I hope that I'm wrong and the optimism which ruled the internet until the early 2010 would prevail at the end.

Re: AI girlfriend ads are flooding Instagram and TikTok

#110

I for one am interested why it's specifically AI girlfriend ads and not AI boyfriend ads. Heterosexual women are huge consumers of e.g. dating simulators, romance books, et al. that envision perfect men, bad boys with sweet hearts, wealthy powerful high-earning men who somehow always make time for the beloved. You'd think there'd be just as many AI boyfriend ads-- what teenaged girl wouldn't pay huge money to date $p…

Here's an idea nobody has brought up yet: AI boyfriends are not good enough yet. Romance plots involve an intricate and complicated progression of emotions. Lonely guys need a lot less and don't mind skipping the romancing part of the romantic experience.

In think you’re right.

Weird that a tool that is very well suited for a demographic is actively ignoring it, because it just isn’t good enough to fill the need yet.

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