Lonely and not having seen another person for weeks, Mark25 logged into a chat system using his social media account. Without reading the text, he scrolled through and clicked yes to a license and privacy disclosure agreement.

He then engaged in various discussions with others in channels about his favorite movies, games, and books.

Later on, during a conversation about sci-fi novels, he mentioned a title no one else heard of—but he got a direct message from a person with the name Jane21.

“Wow! I loved that story! I’ve never met anyone else who read it. Who was your favorite character? Did you notice the subtle plot twist? What do you think it meant when ... ”

Mark25 and Jane21 spent many days discussing the book and the author’s other works, their overall likes and dislikes in fiction, philosophies on life, politics, and past triumphs and personal tragedies.

One day, Mark25 professed his love for Jane21. She then went silent and disconnected.

For several days, Mark25 waited and asked around about her, but no one knew anything.

The chat admin simply replied, “She went, poof!”

Public chat channels soon idled without much activity. Mark25 learned that most of the people private messaged one another to discuss their unique interests.

Worried about Jane21’s safety, Mark25 contacted the customer service of the chat system. But, they refused to release her real identity or any of her personal information.

————

Roger Smith—Mark25’s real name—unplugged and sobbed miserably for a week at the loss of his new friend and potential love interest. He promised himself to never rejoin the chat.

On a Saturday afternoon, Roger walked outside to get the mail and opened an envelope with a handwritten name Jane21 in the corner without a return address. Inside of it, he pulled out and read a postcard stapled to a folded pamphlet:

Mr. Roger Smith,

We thank you for your participation with our advanced experimental AI chatbot girlfriend, Jane21.

With our gratitude, please accept this promo code to rekindle your romance.