(Not my post - I found this on reddit and thought it was a different and intriguing point of view : https://www.reddit.com/r/aiwars/comments/1iniuih/ai_boyfriendsgirlfriends_are_empowering/ )
Have you ever heard the saying “I’m a strong independent woman who doesn’t need a man”? Well I think the same about people who are dating AI. They don’t need a person of the opposite gender (or the same gender, if they’re homosexual) to satisfy their romantic desires. That makes them strong and independent. They don’t rely on others. They solved a problem in their life all by themselves. This is why I think that dating an AI is empowering.
Note that I phrased this as gender-neutral (except the quote) - both men and women are empowered by dating an AI.
(In a comment by the OP, they clarified that they’re talking about locally run, open source AI bf/gfs)
They exist to deliver a particular experience to the user. Calling them “boyfriend”, “girlfriend”, “romantic partner” etc is just propaganda because the user is not engaging with an independent entity with its own goals and desires who chooses to be with them. It’s just an edited, sanitized experience meant to evoke “romance”, like how some video games evoke war, racing, or running a gigantic, world-spanning factory.
Nothing wrong with enjoying an experience if you’re not hurting yourself or anyone, but I wouldn’t be surprised if addiction is a big issue here. And addiction does hurt ppl.