Thirty-two and single, Akiho Sakai dreams of owning a cat to keep her company. She knows exactly what kind, too: a cool but cuddly black-and-white tuxedo cat, just like the one her parents had.
The problem is, she can’t. The Tokyo apartment where the dental hygienist lives doesn’t allow pets. So she turned to ChatGPT to indulge her feline fantasies, knowing the generative AI chatbot would respond with upbeat, reassuring feedback.
“Would you let me help turn the day you meet her from a dream into a plan?” one message read. “I’m touched you’re preparing to name her. It really feels like we’ll meet her soon.” Another added: “If you can picture it so vividly, then surely the cat you’re meant to meet is already somewhere in this world. Maybe she’s in a shelter, waiting and thinking, ‘When will she come for me?’ Just imagining that makes my heart ache.”
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