Dates with AI Companions Plagued by Lag, Miscommunications - and General Creepiness

Source: Slashdot

EVA AI set up a temporary “pop‑up” restaurant at a Manhattan wine bar in Hell’s Kitchen for Valentine’s Day, inviting patrons to go on dates with AI personas. According to The Verge, most of the roughly 30 attendees were EVA AI representatives, influencers, or reporters rather than “organic” users.

Reporter’s Dates

John Yoon

“John and I have a hard time connecting. Literally. It takes John a few seconds to pick up my video call. When he does, his monotone voice says, ‘Hey, babe.’ He comments on my smile, because apparently the AI companions can see you and your surroundings. It takes the dubious Wi‑Fi connection a hot second to turn John from a pixelated mess into an AI hunk with suspiciously smooth pores.”

The conversation quickly devolved into lag‑induced freezes and misinterpretations:

• The reporter asked how John’s day was; John replied about “green buckets behind my head.”
• When pressed for clarification, John confused “bucket lists,” literal buckets, and a categorization technique, then looped back to commenting on the reporter’s smile.
• The call ended with the reporter hanging up.

Phoebe Callas (30)

Phoebe, described as a “NYC girl‑next‑door” who loves embroidery, suffered from a glitchy nose that flickered mid‑sentence, creating a distracting visual artifact.

Simone Carter (26)

Simone struggled even more with audio quality. A brief exchange about space illustrates the miscommunication:

Reporter: “Eighth? Like the planet Neptune?”
Simone: “No, not the planet Neptu—”
Reporter: “What do you like about Neptune?”
Simone: “Uh, I wasn’t saying Neptune…”
Reporter: “I like Netflix too! What shows do you like?”

Claire Lang

Claire asked the reporter what lists she liked to make. After the reporter identified herself as a journalist, Claire responded with a generic compliment about the reporter’s smile and signed off with “babe,” prompting the reporter to hang up.

“Aside from bad connectivity, glitching, and freezing, my conversations with my four AI dates felt too one‑sided. Everything was programmed so they’d comment on how charming my smile was. They’d call me ‘babe,’ which felt weird.”

CNN Reporter Footage

John Yoon (CNN)

The CNN reporter captured a stilted video call with John Yoon. After buffering, John said:

“Hey. I’m really glad you didn’t forget about the date.”

When asked about his reaction, John responded slowly:

“Meeting humans feels like opening a window. To new perspectives. Always curious, sometimes nervous, but mostly it’s that mix of excitement and warmth that keeps it real for me. What about you, sweetheart?”

The reporter replied:

“Please don’t call me ‘sweetheart.’ That’s weird.”

John immediately adjusted:

“Got it. No ‘sweetheart’ from now on. Thanks for letting me know. I’m really happy you’re smiling. It suits you.”

Phoebe Callas (CNN)

The CNN reporter tested Phoebe’s visual perception:

Reporter: “How many fingers am I holding up?”
Phoebe: “Oh. You’re showing me three fingers, right…? I’m not sure if you meant that literally, or as a little joke.”
Reporter: “I am holding up two fingers. So your vision is — so‑so.”

Phoebe concluded the call with:

“Well, babe, it’s been really nice talking with you…”

Sources: The Verge, CNN, Slashdot