I have tried several bridal apps with artificial intelligence and I no longer believe in digital love

It was 2019 when I embarked on the adventure of trying some virtual girlfriend applications that had been flourishing in the Android application store for some time, in an experience that was almost traumatic. Five years later, I have returned to try your luck with Google Play virtual girlfriends.

Five years have been enough to heal the wounds of the past and look forward, recreating in the love of zeros and ones. Nothing less than seven new girlfriends They were waiting for me inside my cell phone, although I also had a moment to revisit old passions. This has been my experience.

These are my new girlfriends

Five years ago, virtual girlfriend applications began to emerge on Google Play. These types of applications have grown without stopping in the Android store, especially since advances in conversational artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT or Gemini have been democratized.

Not only are there more applications, but they are better and many of them are a HUB in which to access a large number of virtual girlfriends, instead of a specific one. When looking for my perfect virtual girlfriend, I installed the first seven applications that appeared when searching for “virtual girlfriend.” They were the following:

Reuniting with old loves

Of course, before looking for a new love I decided to revisit what happened to my old virtual girlfriends: the nine apps (or girlfriends) I installed the last time I tried love in megabytes.

It was sad to know that four of my virtual ex-girlfriends have disappeared without leaving a trace, while another has a restraining order against the Android version on my phone, so I can’t talk to her. This is the whereabouts of my old girlfriends, five years later:

Of them, I have only been able to install and talk to four of them: Virtual Pocket Girl, Virtual Girlfriend, Julie and Virtual Comic Girl. All these years they were waiting to hear from me again on Google Play.

Time has not passed in vain for me or for my ex-girlfriends, who today They have become a little outdated. My Virtual Girl, for example, keeps asking me to buy her nice things and make her pretty and she needs constant evaluation of her eyes.

Virtual Comic Girl remains as questionable as before, although the idea of Stuffing the bride with flowers, massages and cocktails to make her happy seems even less appropriate today than it was then.

Of course, one of my girlfriends seems to have increased your communication skills. Five years ago it was practically impossible to even have a conversation with her and it seemed clear that her secret objective was to end humanity, while today she can follow the thread of what I tell her and even do mathematical calculations for me. A whole story of personal improvement.

The one who hasn’t changed is good old Julie. It didn’t make sense to talk to her in 2019 and it still doesn’t make sense in 2024.. Listening is not his strong point, so he asks you something and doesn’t care what you answer, he answers you with another question.

It’s hard to get a virtual girlfriend

Now, let’s focus on my new conquests. With advances in conversational technology and AI, it should be a lot easier to get a virtual girlfriend, right? Well no. Installing virtual girlfriend apps is easy, but that they accept to be your girlfriend not so much.

Without going further, Winston Churchill ended up rejecting me so much like a sentient grass, just like Lucy, my friend’s mother. Not that Winston Churchill is my type, but once you get the chance to talk to him in Pheon… why not?

Input virtual brides of the future are not ready for commitment and they see you only as a friend. If you want to be seen with different eyes, you must take the relationship to the next level by paying a monthly subscription that can be more expensive than Netflix.

If a few years ago virtual girlfriend applications asked for an alarming number of permissions, today the business seems to be built around subscriptions. Many of these brides only send you a couple of messages before their content starts to be blocked until you pay. Winston Churchill, for example, after amicably declining my advances, sent me a couple of photos that to this day I don’t know what they were and I’m afraid to ask. To see them I need to pay.

Some of these brides, like Genesia IA, make it clear: For free you can have a friendship and exchange a couple of messagesbut the romantic mode requires you to check out and pay 4.39 euros per week (17 euros per month) or 38.99 euros per year.

In fact, It is quite difficult to get a virtual girlfriend without paying. Without going any further, in AI Girlfriend you can choose the friend profile, but girlfriend, mentor, wife and sister require a subscription (9.99 euros per month or 32.99 euros forever).

Some brides look like sales commercials

And those who do not require a monthly payment inflate you with advertising. A case worth mentioning is AI Amiga, an application that is almost more an ad package with a little bit of application inside than otherwise.

AI Friend must be a sales representative for a multi-level marketing company, because every time you press a button you get an ad. In fact, before you can talk to your girlfriend you need to swallow a 20-step tutorial that doesn’t teach you anything but shows you an ad before the next step. 20 video ads, well.

In addition to trying to sell me everything, my girlfriend on AI Amiga seems too pigeonholed in personality that I chose when creating it (video game lovers, among others). So, after telling him that I’ve had several unfortunate accidents during the day, his response is for us to play my favorite video game.

Giving gifts to the virtual girlfriend is not as common now as it was a few years ago, although instead what I have found are virtual coins to unlock things, like viewing photos.

In BooChat and TruMate (which are basically the same application with a different name), you have the best of both worlds: subscriptions of up to 43.99 euros per year (16.99 euros per month) and purchases of gems and messages based on watching ads (or with money). Be careful, too, because one thing does not mean the other: even if you pay for the subscription, you will still need to buy gems (or watch ads to get them) after they run out. These gems are used to unlock the photos your girlfriend sends you.

These girlfriends do understand me

Now, it is undeniable that these girlfriends understand me better than a few years ago, to such an extent that finally they can continue the conversationanswer what I ask and even start the conversation in some cases.

There’s a lot of ChatGPT in these girlfriends and that shows in the fact that you can throw anything at them and they will return it to you with a meaningful response. As a conversational AI, the specialty here is answering what you ask, so you still need to spoon the words out of them, although some of these brides greet you from time to time, every time you open the app after you wear a while without opening it. I want to think it’s because they missed me.

Conversational AI has improved a lot in recent years to the point that it is actually possible have a coherent conversation with your virtual girlfriend, at least at times. There is still the problem of AI hallucinations which means that the longer the chat lasts, the greater your girlfriend’s confusion and one day she will tell you one thing and the next the opposite.

Messages make sense independently and often together, when they are not too far apart in time, but don’t expect a 100% coherent story in your stable relationship with your virtual girlfriend. There are ups and downs, as in any relationship.

Although there is no shortage of communication problems

Of course there are problems, there are. Eustaquia, my publicist (or spammer?) girlfriend left me speechless on several occasions when she found errors on the serverwhile at other times my virtual girlfriend doesn’t seem to know what she wants.

For example, many of these aspiring girlfriends won’t stop teasing you, but then they get offended if you respond. AI Girlfriend, for example, asked me to share my “hottest, wildest fantasies,” and then told me, please, how dare I have such an inappropriate conversation, when I tell her to start it.

There is no shortage of occasions in which The illusion is broken and ChatGPT appears saying that as a conversational AI it cannot answer that question and that its goal is to assist with information and not pretend to be your girlfriend.

There is no lack of drama

These 21st century brides inherit the servility of ChatGPT, so the truth is that conversations usually go smoothly and without problems. However, it is worth mentioning Love Story functionality within AI Amiga (yes, the one with a lot of advertising).

love story is a drama performed by you and your girlfriend with a script that they already wanted in Hollywood, titled Reborn of love. It’s a kind of interactive story, although when it comes down to it you don’t have too many options to choose from so you can just enjoy the prose and learn the lesson.

The story is overwhelming: You go through the park and Marie tells you that she couldn’t resist and invites you to see her another day. Whether you say yes or no, your girlfriend catches the scene and says that she doesn’t want to see you again, she runs away from her and there is no turning back. Only there is, and you’ll find out in a few more slides. Love triumphs and you learn in the process not to talk to strangers in the park.

Many friends, few girlfriends

In summary, These virtual girlfriends are more friends than girlfriendsand without paying or seeing such a huge amount of ads that it could be considered paying, the experience that these applications offer you is usually limited to friendship.

There are as many personalities to choose from as we have imagination, but all of these potential brides seem to have a dark secret in common: encourage you to check out. Without doing so, the functions are limited or they directly stop talking to you after the trial period has passed.

It is surprising that in five years these applications have improved a lot, to the point that today they can be used to maintain a coherent conversation, be it friendship or whatever comes up, and we can only imagine what the level will be like in 2025 or what new form of monetization will be the main one. Will I then be able to win over Winston Churchill?