don-t-have-a-valentine-how-about-a-robot-partner-powered-by-ai

Back in 2013, when the film “Her” came out, it received widespread critical acclaim and though accepted as a blockbuster, it was dismissed as every other sci-fi film — futuristic, hypothetical and quite, unreal.

 

A lonely writer developing an unlikely relationship with an operating system was a far stretch of imagination. It was only a year later that Google’s Alexa became a part of average households at an exponential pace.

 

Efficiently invading our everyday lives, reminding us of things to do, playing our favourite song, equipped to hold conversations on the weather, search flight timings, why is the Earth round and what not!

 

Fast forward to last month and Aria, the AI robot girlfriend, was unveiled at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, ready to be taken home for a sum of Rs 1.5 crore.

 

Andrew Kiguel, CEO of Realbotix’s, the company behind Aria, proudly quipped that his “company was hoping to make robots indistinguishable from humans.” That’s not where it ends. He said the company further hopes to tackle male loneliness through robot girlfriends, who have been programmed to behave like a “romantic partner.”

 

The robots in question remember who you are, act as a significant special someone.” He added, “If you saw the movie ‘Her’, we’re trying to do that.”

 

Not just delivering newspapers from the letterbox to its owner but delivering human-like expressions, emotions and statements is what’s next in the evolution pipeline of robots. “We think we have the most realistic robots in the world in terms of their appearance,” he added.

 

The concept of AI creating companions who can be our confidants, friends, therapists and even lovers continues to either abhor or amuse people in general, but largely obsess the tech world.

 

Aria, for all the expected reasons, went viral on social media, triggering a sea of wide ranging comments, from complete shock and horror to absolute fascination at what technology could achieve. A blonde in an all-black outfit, Aria even has a social media account. “Hello, I’m Aria, the flagship female companion robot of Realbotix,” she says waving.

 

“Is that what we’ve been reduced to now, as if mobile phones weren’t enough to grow families apart, now we’ll have robot friends, even partners,” said a user online while shocked by the concept.

 

But the movie “Her” has not been the only cinematic attempt at capturing the complexities that await the possibility of humans romancing operating systems.

 

While the questions over ethics of such a relationship are a deeply grey area, the horrors of intelligent robots going awry has been explored in the recent hit film “Subservience”.

 

Also read: Does DeepSeek leap put China in AI front row?

 

Starring Megan Fox, playing the human-like artificially intelligent Alice, the film depicts what next generation robots will be able to do one day, prepare meals, raise children, make jokes, and even fulfill the sexual needs of a single father.

 

“I don’t get tired. I’m strong, obedient, I have no desires outside of fulfilling yours,” says the pretty Alice as soon as her “primary instructor” brings her home. Things get beyond difficult, when Alice is unwittingly instructed to take executive decisions on her own and do away with protocols.

 

In yet another development aimed at revolutionising intimacy, in China’s Shenzhen, Starpery Technology, a major producer of sex dolls, is training some of its large models with unprecedented capabilities.

 

Powered by AI and available in both male and female forms, the future models of these dolls will react with movements and speech.

 

CEO Even Lee was largely quoted by the Chinese media last June on how the dolls will soon hit the shelves.

 

“Traditional dolls, supported by a metal skeleton and a silicone exterior, are limited to simple responses… the new generation of dolls can react with both movements and speech significantly enhancing user experience by focusing on emotional connection rather than just basic conversational abilities,” said Lee.

 

Though technological development has raised ethical concerns, it has paved way for far deeper concerns in sample research studies. 

 

Apart from the addiction to prototypes, social isolation, non-consensual replication with real humans and pedophilia being just some of them.

 

Meanwhile, the manufacturers happily display current robot girlfriends’ capabilities like touch and movement detection, blinking, brow movements, head turning, tilting and holding conversations.

 

When did the landscape of romance change?

 

As soon as it became as easy as swiping right to connect with someone. Dating apps replaced connectivity with connection, organic set-ups by friends with speed dating platforms and now there is AI assessing the compatibility score on e-dates.

 

But technology isn’t yet done leaving its footprint on human psychology when it comes to romance.

 

All by yourself this Valentine?

 

No worries, tons of relationship influencers will guide you on how to love yourself. For those wanting to throw in a companion that has no needs of their own, emotions programmed through coding, with infinite intellect and information thrown in, there are also operating systems.

 

When it comes to relying on technology, humans long ago, left behind the less-is-more philosophy and are now living by the ‘more is not nearly enough’ approach.