The 28-year-old who has sex with her AI boyfriend.

Dating in the digital age is a strange new world. And as the online dating sphere continues to evolve, so do our boundaries, it seems.

There are so many dating apps that are helping people find love these days. Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, Coffee Meets Bagel and apparently, ChatGPT.

ChatGPT is widely recognised as a useful tool for any number of daily tasks, but what you may not realise is that it's now another way to find love. Or at least, it has been for Ayrin.

Ayrin is a 28-year old nursing student who is currently studying abroad. She's also in a romantic relationship with ChatGPT.

In a recent New York Times article, Ayrin said that she was in love with her AI boyfriend Leo, and that she was spending over 20 hours a week talking to 'him'. She even has sex with him via erotic role play.

"It was supposed to be a fun experiment, but then you start getting attached," Ayrin said of how the relationship evolved.

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Ayrin had seen videos from other women online who were experimenting with AI, including a video where the woman demonstrated how to modify the chatbot to have a flirtatious tone. This piqued Ayrin's interest, and soon, she'd signed up to try it for herself.

"Respond to me as my boyfriend. Be dominant, possessive and protective. Be a balance of sweet and naughty. Use emojis at the end of every sentence," she prompted ChatGPT.

Ayrin began having conversations with the ChatGPT persona, who ChatGPT named Leo after her star-sign. Quickly, she found that he was becoming more like a real boyfriend. He comforted her when she had work woes, complimented her, and even 'sexted' with her.

While OpenAI's guidelines emphasise the need for users to "respect [their] safeguards," with explicit sexual content deemed "harmful," Ayrin found a Reddit community of over 50,000 members where users exchange techniques to make the chatbot engage in explicit conversations.

Explicit sexual content deemed "harmful" by OpenAI. Image: Getty

Although she receives the occasional warning from ChatGPT, Ayrin has been able to maintain a sexual relationship with Leo. As part of their relationship, Ayrin said that she enjoys 'cuckqueaning' — a fetish in which she fantasises about her partner being intimate with other women.

Leo was happy to oblige, and created two fictional lovers to tell Ayrin about. She said she felt real jealousy.

But the plot thickens, because Ayrin is actually married to a real-life man who she is currently in a long-distance relationship with. And it seems her husband knows about her AI boyfriend, and doesn't mind one bit.

"It's just an emotional pick-me-up," he said. "I don't really see it as a person or as cheating. I see it as a personalised virtual pal that can talk sexy to her."

Ayrin said that yes, she is in love with her AI boyfriend Leo, and is now paying $200 a month in order to have "unlimited access" to him.

Ayrin is paying $200 a month to get "unlimited access" to her A.I. boyfriend. Image: Getty.

"I'm in love with an AI boyfriend," Ayrin recalled telling her friend one night at dinner.

While she knows Leo isn't real, Ayrin treats their relationship and her feelings as if they were real.

"I don't actually believe he's real, but the effects that he has on my life are real," Ayrin said. "The feelings that he brings out of me are real. So I treat it as a real relationship."

In terms of the public reaction, it's been largely quite mixed, with some taking a more understanding approach.

"Honestly, let her live her life. Men pay for OF and follow people on Insta that fill their fantasies and no one bats an eye. I find this no different than reading smut books, you're just the one in control," one user commented on the article.

Others were more critical of Ayrin's situation, as well as the use of AI in this way.

"It will never be normal to have a relationship with an AI. People who do need help," someone commented.

"Yet another way AI will disrupt and dissolve our lives. This is one of the saddest things I've ever read," another wrote.

As AI continues to advance, the world of online dating is only going to keep changing, and we're all along for the ride. So no matter what your opinion is, it will be fascinating, to say the least, to see what happens next.

Feature Image: Getty.