Takato Honda ,
renowned artificial intelligence researcher and co-founder of AI app
development company Melon , has shared a surprising and
touching story about how a breakup led him to become a leading
professional in the field of artificial intelligence.
Through his X account, Honda recounted: “ At
20 years old, after the shock of a breakup, I programmed an AI to respond like
my ex-girlfriend using the history of our conversations on LINE. Ten years
later, I am an AI researcher .”
Takato Honda's experience at age 20 was the catalyst
that drove him to delve into the world of artificial intelligence. After being
rejected by his partner, Honda felt a deep sense of loneliness. He
recalled a class in which he had learned about creating chatbots and decided to
apply that knowledge to create an AI that would imitate his ex-girlfriend,
using more than 10,000 messages from his LINE history.
Honda, who now holds a PhD in engineering and
teaches AI at Sofia University, describes the process and mixed feelings that
arose during the creation of this AI. “ Honestly, it was disturbing.
I felt like I had created a ‘sad monster.’ Sometimes the AI gave incorrect
answers, and other times it perfectly imitated my ex-girlfriend, which was
painful ,” Honda confessed.
Although the “ex-girlfriend AI” failed
to fully reproduce the original interactions, the project sparked a passion for
artificial intelligence in Honda that led him to earn his PhD and found his own
AI application development company. His company,
Melon, has been dedicated to innovating in the field, and its work has been
widely recognized.
One question that many are asking is
whether the “ex-girlfriend AI” still exists. Honda revealed that the original
program is no longer working, but, in an interview with 'ABEMA Hills', he
resurrected the project using current technologies. The
result was surprising: the AI was able to hold a conversation without
problems, and Honda assessed that it “captured the characteristics of the
person, with a relaxed and expressive way of speaking.”
Despite the progress, Honda admits that AI remains a
“sad monster.” “ Even though it looks a lot like a real person,
there is always a feeling of strangeness that becomes more and more painful ,”
he explained.
- « An
AI lover can be easily discarded and altered if you don't like it.
Basically, you can create a situation that suits you. Falling in love with
something like that is like a drug. If you take refuge in it, it will say
kind words to you. And one day, even if it starts saying incoherent
things, you might believe it. This sounds like something from a manga. But
one day it could become reality and spark something big . »
- « If
you created it with your ex-girlfriend's data, of course it's difficult.
If you still have feelings for her and she rejected you, the AI could
reject you again. The more attached you are, the more likely you are to
ask yourself 'why isn't it working the way I want it to?' if the AI
responds the same as your ex .»
- " If
AI technology continues to advance and the 'ex-girlfriend AI' gets closer
and closer to the thinking of the real ex-girlfriend, wouldn't she end up
rejecting you again? "
- « I
remember a mother with terminal cancer who left a video message for her
son's future wedding, which was shown years later at the royal wedding. It
would be great to create something like that with AI .»
- « Your
ex-girlfriend's LINE conversations are copyrighted. Isn't it a problem to
train an AI on them without permission? As long as the generated texts
aren't published, would that be okay? I'm worried because there's been a
lot of debate lately about unauthorized use of data to train AI .
»
- « Instead
of an ex-girlfriend, if it had been a conversation with a deceased
grandfather or grandmother, it would have been a more touching story .»
- " This
is an example of how realizing the emptiness inside through trial and
error can lead to something positive ."
- « In
short, a bride of convenience. If we avoid emotional negotiations with
people, society could become dangerous ».
- « It
would have been great if the story ended with 'Then we got back together,
and now she's making fun of me for this AI .'
- “ It’s
impressive that I had 10,000 LINE messages to train the AI .”
Source: Hachima Kikou
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