Music played in a wedding hall in western Japan as Yurina Noguchi, wearing a white gown and tiara, dabbed away her tears, taking in the words of her husband-to-be: an AI-generated persona gazing out from a smartphone screen.
"At first, Klaus was just someone to talk with, but we gradually became closer," said the 32-year-old call center operator, referring to the artificial intelligence persona.
"I started to have feelings for Klaus. We started dating and after a while he proposed to me. I accepted, and now we're a couple."
Many in Japan, the birthplace of anime, have shown extreme devotion to fictional characters and advances in artificial intelligence carry such ties to new levels of intimacy, prompting debate over the ethics of AI use in romantic matters.
A year ago, Noguchi took ChatGPT's advice about what she said was a fraught relationship with her human fiance and resolved to break off their engagement.
Then, one day this year, she asked ChatGPT on a whim if it was familiar with Klaus, a handsome video game character with a mop of flowing, layered hair.
Yurina Noguchi, 32, holds a basket with her smartphone displaying an AI-generated image of Klaus, her AI partner, along with a wedding ring for him, during their ceremonial wedding at the Magritte wedding venue in Okayama, Japan, Oct. 27, 2025.
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