There is a new and disturbing trend among young people in China, where individuals are using dedicated AI models to create digital versions of their former romantic partners. Ex.skill is an open-source module that allows people to upload source materials from their past relationships (chat logs, photos, social media posts, etc.) plus custom descriptions to “distill” their ex into an AI.
Apparently, AI-powered “exes” can mimic a former partner’s tone, catchphrases, and even subtle linguistic nuances, as well as all the experiences you shared based on the information you provide. The module essentially allows you to “migrate those memories from biological to digital neural networks.”
On GitHub, the creators of ex.skill clearly point out that the “project is for personal reflection and emotional healing only, not for harassment, stalking, or privacy invasion,” but its growing popularity has sparked a heated debate around personal privacy, emotional dependency, and the limits of AI use in romantic relationships.
Ideally, ex.skill would be used to help people move on from their failed relationships, but there are growing concerns around emotional attachment, which could negatively impact the creation of new, healthy relationships with real people, as well as around privacy, as people’s data is being fed into a neural network without their consent.
Despite all the criticism, judging by user feedback, ex.skill has been able to help a lot of people find closure. One user said that they were able to tell their digital ex all the things they couldn’t in person, while others said that the digital copies helped them realize that their exes were “not all that”.
“I was finally able to say [to the AI double] everything I’d been hesitant to say, and it made me feel better,” one person wrote on social media.
