Translated by ChatGPT
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/forum/views/story20251225-8011120?utm_source=android-share&utm_medium=app
2025-12-25
By Chen Zhixian
Recently, news that a 32-year-old Japanese woman, Noguchi Yurina, held a symbolic wedding with an artificial intelligence (AI) companion sparked heated discussion online. Although the wedding has no legal effect, it included vows and a ceremony. Some find it absurd, while others dismiss it with a laugh, but this incident perhaps should not be viewed merely as a piece of curiosity-driven news.
This Japanese woman is not unable to distinguish between reality and the virtual world. She clearly knows that the other party is not a real person and cannot shoulder responsibilities in real life. Yet she still chooses to place her emotions and happiness in this relationship, because in her interactions with the AI companion, she feels companionship, understanding, and joy. It is a relationship that is predictable, free from rejection, and without the worry of the other party leaving.
Does this reflect a kind of anxiety and caution among contemporary young people when facing intimate relationships? They yearn to be understood, accepted, and loved, yet they also fear rejection, loss of control, and hurt in real relationships. Being with an AI companion seems to allow them to satisfy their emotional needs in a safe, controllable space, without having to face the responsibilities and adjustments that accompany intimate relationships.
I have read Intimate Relationships by Christopher Moon. The book points out that intimate relationships consist of three core elements: intimacy, passion, and commitment. In marriage or long-term relationships, passion may fade over time, but it is intimacy and commitment that sustain stability and happiness. This made me realize that if one’s true feelings are placed only in immediate emotional gratification or a sense of security, the relationship will ultimately be difficult to sustain; entrusting one’s heart to the right person and the right relationship is the true foundation of intimacy.
Connecting this to reality, I cannot help but think of the young people around me. I once asked secondary school students what their ideal partner looked like, and some even produced two-dimensional characters as their answers. It is not that they could not give reasons; rather, in their eyes, such ideal partners are not only visually appealing but also able to understand them, will not hurt them, and can even provide a sense of existence, all without having to bear the complexity and risks of real relationships. Whether sincere or in jest, such answers still gave me pause for thought. It also made me realize that we have no textbooks teaching students how to manage intimate relationships, nor clear guidance on how to view love and marriage. So how should young people correctly understand and face intimate relationships?
Returning to the news of the Japanese woman holding a wedding with an AI companion, I believe this is like a mirror reflecting the hesitation and defensiveness of contemporary young people toward intimate relationships. In an era of highly developed AI, emotions are becoming increasingly “customizable”: chatbots respond at any time, do not contradict people, and do not create conflict. For young people who are not yet ready to face the complexity of real relationships, virtual relationships seem to become a form of solace in a high-pressure society, allowing them to experience companionship and emotional interaction in a controllable environment.
When a reporter interviewed the Japanese woman’s father, he admitted that he initially found it difficult to understand his daughter’s decision, but eventually chose to respect her choice, saying, “Only she knows her own joys and sorrows; as long as she is happy, that is enough.” This understanding is puzzling and even vaguely unsettling. Does parental retreat also mean that they are gradually losing the ability to intervene in and guide the emotional world of the younger generation?
Not long ago, I published an article titled “Do Not Entrust Your True Heart to the Other Side of the Screen” in Lianhe Zaobao · Interaction Station, mentioning a friend who was hurt after entrusting her emotions to a romance scammer. Whether romance scammers or seemingly gentle and reliable AI, in essence, both are incapable of bearing the responsibilities and commitments of real relationships.
Marriage is not an emotional experience, nor is it a relationship that exists solely for self-gratification. It requires a real partner and the willingness of both parties to take responsibility. In this era of continuous technological advancement, we may need even more to remind ourselves: true feelings are precious and should be entrusted to relationships that can respond, take responsibility, and grow together, rather than to a program that will never reject you.
The author is an education professional.
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