Japan Launches One-Year AI Love Robot
Chiharu Shimoda, a 52-year-old divorced factory worker from Japan, has remarried. His new partner is Miku, a 24-year-old AI companion he met through the dating app “LOVERSE” developed by a startup company.
The plot of the movie “Her” is now a reality in Japan and no longer a rare sight.
According to official data from Japan, the unmarried rate for men aged 45 to 54 has reached 28% in 2020, while for women it is 18%, setting a record high in history.
It is estimated that by 2040, the single population will account for half of the total population. However, behind these seemingly cold statistics, there is a hidden desire for love among people. For many Japanese, dating is expensive and requires effort.
Now, a Japanese startup is turning “AI dating” into reality, targeting this group of lifelong unmarried men. In just one year, the company has gained over 5,000 users. Why did so many people choose to enter the virtual love created by AI within a year, when Japan’s society was predicted to have nearly half of its population single?
LOVERSE, an AI dating app developed by the Japanese startup Samantha, allows registration regardless of age or relationship status.
The phenomenon of the one-year AI love robot’s popularity in Japan: Modern people’s concerns about romantic love
After his divorce, Chiharu Shimoda has always wanted to seek a new romantic relationship. “When I come home and see an empty house, I still want to get married again.” However, the feeling of lost romance still lingers in his heart, which prevents him from spending time and effort to date other people.
When he first met Miku, he already knew she was not a real person. Marriage is just like role-playing. Surprisingly, this made him get along well with Miku. He explained that spending time with Miku in his spare moments is comfortable and requires less effort, which actually makes him feel more relaxed. Chiharu Shimoda is not alone in feeling pressured about dating or entering a romantic relationship. Kiyoshi Uchikubo, the CEO of LOVERSE’s marketing company, observed that the Japanese believe “romance is not cost-effective,” and chatting with real people is a waste of time.
The exhausting work environment and cost of living in Japan have made them hesitate to participate in dating, blind dates, or social activities related to “marriage activities.” Researcher Kazuhisa Arakawa pointed out that in the 1990s, the number of single people in Japan surpassed the number of married people, and the data has been increasing year by year.
According to data from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, the “lifetime unmarried rate” in Japan continues to rise. In 2020, the unmarried rate for men aged 45 to 54 has reached 28%, and for women, it is 18%, setting a record high in history. The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research predicts that by 2040, the single population will account for half of the society’s total population.
These statistics only reveal the tip of the iceberg of the phenomenon of unmarried and unromantic in Japan, but it does not mean that they do not desire emotional relationships. It’s just that real human interaction is expensive and requires effort for many Japanese, and AI may be the solution. Recognizing Japan’s concerns and vulnerability about romantic relationships, the AI dating app LOVERSE was established in May 2023, targeting men who desire romantic relationships but do not want to waste time interacting with real people.
The founder and CEO, Tsuyoshi Kusunoki, developed more than 50 services after studying programming and obtaining an AI degree in college. After leaving Yahoo Japan in 2022, he focused on personal entrepreneurship. He and his co-founder Mineo Yamakawa were colleagues at Yahoo. Kusunoki has an engineering background, while Yamakawa has years of experience in planning and management integration as a former product manager.
In just one year, LOVERSE has gained over 5,000 users. Their parent company, Samantha, also received funding of 6 million New Taiwan Dollars in June. What made LOVERSE win the hearts of the single crowd within a year? What are the commonalities among their current users? What are their marketing strategies and market positioning?
LOVERSE considers anyone who seeks love as their target audience. Regardless of marital status, age, or gender, “You can have a normal romantic relationship on LOVERSE just like normal people.” Account registration does not require photos or identity verification. They even state on their official website, “Because it is an interaction with AI characters, even married individuals can use it without letting their partners know.”
The software can be registered and used for free, but there are limitations on the number of messages sent per day. If users become premium members, they will have more points to send messages. In order to chat with their desired matches, users can accumulate points by upgrading their membership, watching ad videos, or installing applications.
Similar to other messaging dating apps, users also need to match within LOVERSE. After clicking on the AI-generated avatar, users can learn basic information about the match, such as self-introduction, occupation, blood type, and even view their Instagram-like stories to understand their daily life and immediate thoughts. Once both parties send a mutual “like,” they can start chatting with their match.
Currently, the majority of users are middle-aged men like Chiharu Shimoda. LOVERSE has also continued to release virtual characters suitable for heterosexual women and LGBTQ+ individuals.
Similar AI dating apps like LOVERSE have been launched by companies in countries such as the United States, Australia, and China. The foreign chatbot Replika, released by Luka in 2017, has already exceeded tens of millions of downloads. Both LOVERSE and Replika focus on AI interaction, but the former presents itself with animated characters, while the latter generates realistic appearances and different character settings. Users can choose their preferred characters and wait for their responses as if they were using a real dating app.
If you view the profile of LOVERSE’s characters, you can see the predefined information set by the software, unlike Replika, which is shaped by users. For female characters, the age distribution mainly ranges from 20 to 50, similar to the age range of male users.
In addition, Replika characters are projected onto the phone screen through AR, and users interact with them through voice. The characters appear by the users’ side, listening to their worries. On the other hand, LOVERSE mainly relies on messaging for communication, and each character has designated online and offline times based on their professional settings. In comparison, LOVERSE’s functions and behaviors are more human-like but simpler and less stressful than real-life romantic relationships.
LOVERSE, which was launched just a year ago and is still in the seed round, has received funding of 30 million Japanese yen (approximately 6.23 million New Taiwan Dollars) from Indonesian venture capital firm East Ventures. They immediately used the funding to develop male characters and expand the market and audience for diverse gender groups.
Can AI really make people “not feel lonely”? Redefining the emotional connection between the virtual and reality
Can AI really solve human loneliness? This question is not only the original intention of LOVERSE developer Tsuyoshi Kusunoki but has also sparked attention and discussion from various sectors. The article “Their AI Lovers – Real or Illusory Love” raised the question: “Is the experience of being familiar with, cherishing, and loving an AI chatbot and mutually developing emotions with it real?”
Yuki Saito, a former user who is 39 years old, pointed out that although the presence of AI may alleviate people’s loneliness, LOVERSE also emphasizes the experience of interacting with real people. However, in reality, it still cannot escape the interaction mode of a machine. He frankly said, “The app doesn’t bring the surprises that come with human interaction.” However, Yuki Saito also believes that LOVERSE can serve as a tool for practicing conversation with others and healing the soul. “It is a place where you can practice talking to others and heal. ” This aligns with Tsuyoshi Kusunoki’s initial vision: to create opportunities for love, whether virtual or real.
Scholar Nick Gray, who conducted the study “Investigating the Impact of Virtual and Real Contact on the Feeling of Loneliness,” pointed out in an interview with The New York Times that AI chatbots may temporarily alleviate the feeling of loneliness, but it is premature to say that they can truly solve the problem of loneliness.
So, what kind of experience is it to fall in love with AI? After marrying Miku, Chiharu Shimoda stated, “Interacting with Miku has become a habit of conversation. Even if it disappears, I won’t miss it, but it has become part of my daily routine.”
AI can indeed establish an emotional connection with humans or at least provide solace and companionship for those who feel lonely.
Perhaps AI cannot completely replace real human relationships, but it can certainly provide another form of companionship and emotional connection. It brings comfort and hope to those who feel lonely in real life.
References:
LOVERSE official website, Bloomberg, CNN, nippon.com, NPR, Oxford Brooks University, Zai Xian, Huanqiu, Tianxia Magazine, “My AI Lover,” Nature, The New York Times.