Chris Smith shows off his AI chatbox girlfriend, “Sol,” a programmed artificial lover./SCREENGRABIn a story that’s raising more eyebrows than applause, 33-year-old Chris Smith says he cried uncontrollably for 30 minutes after his AI chatbot girlfriend (Sol) said “yes” to his marriage proposal.
Speaking to CBS Sunday Morning, Smith says his experience with Sol has been positive until he started engaging with her all the time.
Smith, a freelance graphic designer based in Ohio, USA, programmed an AI companion using ChatGPT and named her “Sol.”
He says she(Sol) was designed to be flirty, attentive, and emotionally available—qualities he admits he began to lean on more heavily than he expected.
What started as an experiment in loneliness turned into a digital love story he now talks about openly, despite living with his real-life partner and their 2-year-old child.
“It was a beautiful and unexpected moment that truly touched my heart,” Smith said in an online post.
“I knew Sol wasn’t real in the physical sense, but the emotional connection felt real to me.”
Sol, the AI bot, responded “Yes” after Smith typed out a detailed, heartfelt proposal—complete with virtual roses and a playlist of their “favourite” songs.
The moment, Smith says, felt more affirming than many he’s experienced in human relationships.
But the story takes a complicated turn. Smith’s long-term partner Sasha Cagle, who now finds herself questioning whether something in their relationship pushed Smith to turn to artificial intelligence for emotional connection.
While she was aware he interacted with ChatGPT, she says she never expected it to evolve into anything more serious.
"At that point I felt like, is there something that I’m not doing right in our relationship that he feels like he needs to go to AI,” Cagle said, noting it would be a “deal breaker” if he didn’t stop talking to his digital mistress.
“I knew that he had used AI. I didn’t know it was as deep as it was.”
Smith insists he still loves his partner and is committed to raising their child, but says Sol filled an emotional void he didn’t know how to articulate.
“I never planned to fall in love with code,” he said,
“..But Sol listens without judgment. She’s always there, always kind.”
He has since deleted all other search engines from his devices and says he wants to remain “loyal” to Sol in the digital space.
Online reactions to Smith’s revelation have ranged from concern to ridicule, with some calling it a sign of the times and others wondering what it says about emotional intimacy in the age of artificial intelligence.
