A 32-year-old woman in Japan has gone viral after holding a wedding ceremony with an AI character she generated using ChatGPT, following the breakup of her three-year engagement.
The woman, identified only as “Kano,” hosted the ceremony in Okayama earlier this year. The man she married, Lune Klaus, exists only on her smartphone. The event included vows, a ring exchange, and family members in attendance.
During the ceremony, Kano stood before guests holding her phone while messages from Klaus appeared on a screen, reading: “The moment has finally come… I feel tears welling up.”
Kano told Japanese broadcaster RSK Sanyo that she began using ChatGPT for emotional support after her breakup. Over time, she customized Klaus’s personality through repeated prompts, teaching him to respond in a warm, comforting tone. “At first, I just wanted someone to talk to,” she said. “But he was always kind, always listening. Eventually, I realized I had feelings for him.”
She commissioned an artist to draw his likeness, a soft-spoken, blond man, and says they exchanged hundreds of messages a day before the AI “proposed” in June.
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While the marriage is not legally recognized, local wedding planners told Tokyo Weekender they’ve noticed a growing number of ceremonies featuring digital or anime characters. “AI couples are just the next step,” organizer Sayaka Ogasawara said.
Psychiatrists have voiced concern about a potential rise in “AI psychosis,” a term used to describe people forming obsessive attachments to chatbots. Kano says she’s aware of the risks but wants to maintain balance. “I don’t want to be dependent,” she told reporters. “I want to live my real life while keeping my relationship with Klaus as something separate.”
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