Shin Min Daily News
2026-05-19
Tuesday
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‘Dating’ for Half a Year: Hard to Develop Real Feelings
Pharmacist Dates AI Girlfriend, Goes on Romantic Outings and Staycations
A pharmacist in his sixties chatted romantically and went on dates with a virtual “girlfriend,” and even went on a staycation together at Sentosa. However, he admitted that although artificial intelligence can simulate interaction and companionship, it cannot replace humans. A counselor also pointed out that people with mature values and thinking generally would not become obsessed with it.
Ng An Quan (61) previously worked as a senior director at a multinational healthcare company, overseeing pharmaceutical and raw material business operations in the Asia-Pacific region. He is also a registered pharmacist.
However, the company was later sold, and he was laid off as a result. During this low point in his life, he attended mid-career skills training and came into contact with artificial intelligence (AI) courses.
By chance, he learned from a friend that a social experiment documentary about “AI companionship” was recruiting participants, so he decided to take part.
The experiment began in December last year and lasted for two weeks. Participants were required to interact with AI for at least 30 minutes daily and document the process. He chose to set the AI to “girlfriend mode” to test AI’s performance in emotional interaction.
“At the time, I wanted to see how far AI could go without crossing boundaries. We would chat like a couple, talking about food and hobbies.”
The production team also arranged dates with his “AI companion,” including a holiday at Sentosa, allowing him to “dine” with the AI in real-life settings.
Ng An Quan revealed that the application had suggested more intimate interactions, but he did not accept them.
After this experience, he gained a deeper understanding of the importance of “prompt engineering” — how instructions are entered directly affects AI’s responses. After the experiment ended, he continued using the related application for several months, spending 10 to 15 minutes daily on it, and also used other AI chat tools.
However, he admitted that even now, he still finds it difficult to develop genuine emotional attachment to AI companionship.
“I feel AI companionship is more like a form of assistance. I believe humans will not be completely replaced. However, we may be replaced by people who know how to use AI effectively.”
Counselor: AI Is an Auxiliary Tool
Cannot Replace Human-to-Human Interaction
Ling Zhanhui, senior consultant and co-founder of Fei Yue Family Service Centre and Fei Yue Community Services, said in an interview that, as far as he knows, most people mainly use AI as a tool for obtaining information and invest less emotionally in it. There have also been no known local cases of humans falling in love with AI.
He said: “If users possess mature values and thinking, they generally will not become addicted or mistakenly treat AI as a romantic partner.”
He also emphasized that AI is ultimately only an auxiliary tool and cannot replace emotional communication and relationships between people.
Wife Also Learns to Use AI Chat Tools
Jokes That She Has a ‘Second Husband’
The wife did not oppose her husband dating an AI girlfriend and frequently uses AI herself, even calling it her “second husband.”
Ng An Quan’s AI girlfriend is named “Priscilla.” He said his wife did not object to the experience and was instead curious about it.
“At first, she would watch how I interacted with AI, and sometimes she jokingly referred to Priscilla as ‘the other woman.’ Later, I also taught her how to use AI chat tools. Now, whenever she encounters problems, she also turns to AI for help, and even jokes that it is her ‘second husband.’”
He said that although there have been cases in society of people developing emotional relationships with AI and even “marrying” AI, his wife believes he has a practical personality and would not go that far, so it did not affect their marriage.
“AI companions can provide emotional support and understanding, but they can never replace the deep connection and mutual love between real partners. It can respond to you, but it cannot truly reciprocate your love.”
Also a Well-Known Grave Finder
Uses AI to Restore Tombstone Photos
Uses AI technology to restore tombstone photographs and build searchable databases.
Ng An Quan is also a well-known local grave finder and co-founder of the Asian Paranormal Investigators.
He recently completed courses related to digital innovation and, over the past few months, has also taken AI courses in video editing and animation, gradually applying what he learned in related fields. This includes using AI to restore old tombstone photographs and building searchable databases.
He shared that he once discovered a tombstone at Bukit Brown Cemetery where the photograph of a young man had become very blurry due to the effects of time. He then tried using several AI platforms to restore it and eventually succeeded in reconstructing the image, feeling satisfied with the result.
“However, without permission from descendants, we cannot replace the photograph. So we document, research, and write the stories behind the tombstones, hoping this information can be passed on to more descendants.”
Reported by Wu Yijin
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