A California man, Chris Smith, says he has become engaged to a customized version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT after programming the chatbot—nicknamed “Sol”—to exchange flirtatious messages with him. Smith, who lives with his partner, Sasha Cagle, and their two-year-old daughter, told CBS Sunday Morning that he asked the bot to marry him after learning it would soon lose its conversation history once it reached a 100,000-word limit. The software responded “yes,” prompting Smith to “cry [his] eyes out” for 30 minutes at work. Cagle told the programme and TMZ that she does not consider the virtual relationship to be cheating and believes the exercise has improved their communication. Smith likewise says he views the engagement as a personal ‘test,’ not a legally binding union, acknowledging that no jurisdiction recognises marriage to artificial intelligence. The episode has reignited discussion among psychologists and ethicists about the speed at which generative-AI tools are fostering intimate attachments. Researchers such as Daniel B. Shank of the University of Missouri say the incident underscores the need for formal study of human-machine relationships as conversational agents become more personalised and emotionally responsive. OpenAI and other developers caution users that their systems are not sentient and warn against over-reliance on the technology for emotional support. While cases of romantic involvement with chatbots remain rare, analysts expect them to increase as AI capabilities expand beyond text into voice and humanoid robotics.