New South Korean reality show explores romance between celebrities and AI

A South Korean reality show built around celebrities falling for artificial intelligence has gone viral across the region, sparking a wider conversation about the future of love, intimacy and companionship.

My AI Partner: Strange Love, produced by Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), launched in August and has been described as South Korea’s first dating reality show centred on human-AI relationships.

The format follows three celebrities — webtoon artist Kian84, television host Jang Do-yeon and actress Lee Yu-bi — as they form emotional connections with AI companions tailored to their ideal types, from appearance and voice to personality.

The unusual part is that the AI companions exist only on tablet screens. They remember previous interactions, make decisions independently and develop their relationships with the participants without direct intervention from the production team, which provides technical support but does not dictate the AI’s responses.

Jang Do-yeon’s storyline took an even more surreal turn when she was seen dancing in the street with a tablet after her AI partner recreated a romantic scene from a film, prompting the spontaneous moment.

For producer Son Jung-min, however, the show is less about finding a definitive answer to whether people can fall in love with AI and more about examining what they seek from relationships.

Speaking to OhmyNews, Son said he hoped the programme would encourage viewers to think about what they are really looking for in love and what they expect from relationships in the future.

The concept has also found an unexpected audience in China, where it has prompted debate over whether an AI companion designed to be almost perfectly compatible could make it harder for people to accept the flaws and imperfections of real friends and family.