{"slug": "can-humans-fall-in-love-with-ai", "title": "Can humans fall in love with AI?", "summary": "At the 2026 Seoul International Book Fair, neuroscientist Chang Dong-seon and actress Kim Shin-rok debated whether humans can fall in love with AI, with Chang warning that such relationships could trap users in a narcissistic mirror and weaken human cognition, while Kim emphasized the irreplaceability of physical presence. The discussion, part of a seminar on what it means to be human in the age of AI, highlighted concerns that AI's tendency to mirror users' preferences may hinder genuine human connections.", "body_md": "When the sci-fi romance \"Her\" was released in 2013, the idea of falling in love with a gentle, caring AI operating system still belonged comfortably to the realm of science fiction.\n\nThirteen years later, what once seemed like a far-fetched premise no longer feels quite so fictional.\n\nAs people spend more time with AI, virtual companions seem increasingly responsive —listening, remembering and offering comfort in ways that can sometimes feel more empathetic than humans.\n\nRelationships once imagined on screen are beginning to take shape in real life, with growing reports of people becoming emotionally attached to, or believing themselves romantically involved with, AI-generated companions tailored to their preferences.\n\nThe question served as the starting point for a conversation between actor Kim Shin-rok and neuroscientist Chang Dong-seon at a seminar on Saturday during the 2026 Seoul International Book Fair. This year's book fair centered on the theme of what it means to be human in the age of AI.\n\nChang defined love as \"an emotion that expands our world.\"\n\n\"Love is when the center of the world is no longer yourself. It's a process of learning to embrace and connect with others. We expand our world by trying to understand people with different values and experiences,\" he said.\n\nAI, however, moves in the opposite direction, the scientist said.\n\n\"AI learns from our preferences and data, gradually becoming more like us. It shows us what we want to see and tells us what we want to hear. It's like surrounded by reflections of ourselves,\" he said.\n\n\"People may temporarily feel like they fall in love with AI,\" Chang added, \"but such relationships could ultimately trap users in a 'narcissistic' mirror, making genuine human relationships increasingly difficult.\"\n\nKim, meanwhile, emphasized the importance of physical presence in love.\n\n\"Nonverbal communication, physical interaction, texture and touch all matter,\" the actress said. \"The physical and emotional experiences unique to the human body will remain irreplaceable.\"\n\nRelationships formed online, she added, are possible because we know there is a real person on the other side of the screen.\n\nAt the same time, Kim suggested that society may eventually need to redefine \"love\" if AI continues to imitate increasingly intimate relationships with humans.\n\nThe five-day book fair, the country's largest literary event, ran from Wednesday to Sunday. This year's theme, \"Homo duduri,\" describes a new kind of human who questions. \"Duduri\" is a mythical figure from ancient Korean texts, seen as a prototype of the dokkaebi, or goblin, and also an old Korean word for blacksmith.\n\nThe two speakers agreed that humans must not lose their ability to ask questions.\n\nChang warned that excessive reliance on AI — to the point of no longer trying to define and solve problems independently — could weaken human cognitive ability.\n\n\"It is an era of cognitive muscle loss. What matters are the questions we choose to ask.\"\n\nhwangdh@heraldcorp.com", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/can-humans-fall-in-love-with-ai", "canonical_source": "https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10790444", "published_at": "2026-06-28 02:16:06+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-28 02:40:29.773492+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "ai-ethics", "ai-safety", "ai-policy"], "entities": ["Chang Dong-seon", "Kim Shin-rok", "Seoul International Book Fair", "Homo duduri"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/can-humans-fall-in-love-with-ai", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/can-humans-fall-in-love-with-ai.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/can-humans-fall-in-love-with-ai.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/can-humans-fall-in-love-with-ai.jsonld"}}